Voices
by Resting-Madness
Summary: Its hard making changes in your life, especially when you feel that there's nothing wrong with you. Maybe the problem isn't that you can't change, but that you haven't met the right voice.
1. Hello My Name is Rock Lee

Disclaimers: I don't own Naruto characters or any mentioned locations from the show in this story. This is a pennyless work of fiction and will stay as such because I don't make a profit from it.

Warning: Language violence etc.

Author's Note: Sorry if there's a lot wrong with this, my checkers can be real... lazy. But I'm trying to make sure its alright as I go along. Thank you for reading! oh, pairings. Gaara/Lee. Sasuke/Naruto. Neji/not sure. Kiba/Shino. This is my attempt at an earthy old fashioned romance. I hope it doesn't make you queasy, I'm not good with straight forward romance.

...

"Can I go live with Ozisan now, pleeeease?" Begs Lee, bouncing from foot to excited foot.

His parents promised him that when he was feeling better he could go stay with his uncle Maito Gai in the country side to attend school. But they have yet to own up to their words. Nariko shakes her head. The energy of a 9 year old is something to be amazed by. Lowering the freshly folded towels into her sons arms she gives him a little push from the laundry room. The two head up down the hall of the apartment the two arrive at the linen closet. Sliding open the wooden white slatted doors, Nariko sets down the basket then removes the towels from her sons hands, smiling down at his up-turned smiling face, then stuffs them onto the closet shelf. Lifting the basket back into her arms she travels down the hall into her son's bedroom in the center at the end of the hall.

Nariko begins to hum a happy little tune she's hunted for on the radio dozens of times and has yet to figure out whom sings it so she can buy the album. Lee watched his mother as she leaves down the hall, trotting down after her when he sees that she hasn't responded to his question.

"Okaasan? Can you here me?" He tugs her sleeve. "About uncle Gai's house?"

"Lee," his mother turns her full attention on him now. "your father has yet to get the train ticket because to do that he has to get the money for it. Do you understand?"

Straight backed, he salutes with a reply "Yes." as his Ozisan does.

Nariko's son takes many traits from her brother Gai. Lee idolizes the man completely. It doesn't help that Gai keeps saying the boy is cut from the Maito genes and doesn't have a single ounce of Rock blood in his body. But he doesn't mean that he only says it to get on her husband, Rock Kinniku's, nerves.

With a smile she says. "Good." Tossling the boys hair, she then says. "Now go get a glass of water, its time for your medicine."

Rushing off without a word, Nariko sighs wearily. Truth of the matter is, the Rock's are a very well to do family and could buy the tickets for the train at least 30 times if they wanted but both Nariko and Kinniku are worried about their son's condition. The couple have been in and out of the hospital due to Lee's insistance of being active. He can overcome his disease but how do you explain to a 9 year old that he shouldn't over excert his self? Lee's heart rate is very slow so pushing it all at once is dangerous if he doesn't know how to pace it. So for now he has to wait on living with uncle Gai. Nariko's brother is... well he's... to put it blunt, eratic and spontanious which makes him completely incapable of watching over Lee while he attends school. The man can't even visit without challenging Kinniku to an arm wrestling match or some other ridiculous challenge. The two met at a party Dr. Shiko was having for all the dentist and their wives; since Gai isn't married he brought her along. That was when Kinniku caught her eye and he seemed to feel the same way about her. Feeling Kinniku wasn't up to the Maito standards, Gai's golf buddy became his new target of challenges until the day the man could win up to his expectations. Poor Kinniku probably never will. But she's Gai's baby sister and their parents have always told him since he was six to watch out for her and he has that imbedded into his heart.

Bouncing back into the room, his little chest crackling from the distance to the kitchen and back having taken a toll already. The boy bent over taking some deep breaths to calm himself down. It broke Nariko's heart seeing that her son smiled even when his condition was acting up on him.

"Here you are." He holds the glass out to his mother.

Smiling, she places the pill into the cup watching carefully as the boy downs the glass of water. When he was younger he used to hide it under spoonfuls of apple sauce but he finally broke away from that and takes them with water. Head tilted back he takes it all, the pill slipping down as though it were liquid itself. Once done he lowered the glass with a refreshed 'aaaa' then handed his mother the glass.

"Done. Mom, is it alright if I go out and play for a while?"

Leaving the boys bedroom having dropped off his underpants and clean clothes, she walks into the kitchen to return the glass to the sink. "Where?" Nariko asks although she has a pretty good idea where.

Wincing, he hoped she wouldn't ask questions this time. Shoulders back he says. "The park." He grabs the counter top, feet crooked upward, he twist them back and forth to rock himself while he watches his mother clean the glass then place it into the dishwasher.

"Who's going with you?"

Turning his wide-set eyes to the ceiling he thinks. "Just some friends, Souzou will be there." The neighbors kid. His best friend since Hyuuga Neji moved away when he was seven or six.

Thinking it over, Nariko sets her hand on her son's shoulder then says kindly. "Alright. Be sure your phone is with you."

"Okay."

"And if you feel even the slightest bit tired," she points a finger at him to let him know these are must-follow rules. "You find somewhere to sit and relax yourself."

"I promise." He salutes getting that that was an order.

Tossling his end bristled hair, she says finally. "Bye sweetie."

Grin on his face, he says nearly in a shout. "Bye Mom!"

3 years later...

12 year old Rock Lee and his mother Nariko on the train to Tohoku, so she can drop her son off to live with his uncle Gai in the country side. The young boy can hardly sit still as the scenery passes quickly by like broccoli in a food fight. His mother had to place her hand on his shoulder just to keep him seated and the eyes of an old couple across from them from staring at her son. He's never been to the country before, uncle Gai has always come to visit them. He gets to attend school here, he'll live with his uncle until Junior year. His parents weren't gonna give full freedom to the double trouble that easily and informed a check up visit twice every month. The deal was sealed and after the three hour train ride and a two day wait out from his mother the boy began school in the middle of the year.

A bit nervous, Lee took an empty seat behind a spike haired boy after introducing himself to the class. They seemed less than enthusiastic about the boy being there but that was how kids were at this age. The boy turned in his desk the moment Lee's bottom hit the seat, his sharp toothed grin caught the boys eye and he smiled back hoping that the other boys smile was friendly and not the start for taunt. His sharp gaze winked an eye at him then he said in a happy voice.

"Man did you get lucky, coming to school in the middle of the year and on a day when we're having a field trip."

"Thanks." Not sure what else to say.

In return he says. "I'm Inuzuka Kiba."

Holding out a hand he replies. "Rock Lee."

"Cool." He shakes the boys hand.

The teacher quickly having taken attendance sends the slip on its way to the office with a boy that comes around to collect them from all the classrooms in the one hall. "Alright people, buddy up and line up at the door."

Glancing at the teacher he then turns back around to look at Lee. "Be my buddy?"

Blinking, he smiles with hope of having scored his first friend. "Yes, thank you." He salutes.

Laughing at the odd child Kiba says, standing as he does. "Boring museum, you gotta have someone to have all sorts of crazy ass fun with." He tosses an arm around the boy.

Mouth agape from Kiba's swearing at his age, but then he asks from shock. "And you picked me?" He mostly meant 'out of everyone in class that you already know you choose the new boy.'

"Sure," he walks them toward the door. "kick ass, right?"

"Aha." He laughs nervously wondering if swearing was a serious habit of the boys. "Sure. Thank you, Kiba-kun."

"Huh?" Shaking his head, he says. "Drop the 'kun' thing and I'll be your best friend from now on."

"Okay. Kiba." He says easily.

"Cool, now let's have some fun." Fist in the air, the two walk out the door.

And they did have fun, wandering from the group and looking at this and that, taking pictures with the instant camera's the museum handed out to the pairs; Kiba even came over the next day to walk with him to school. Being with Kiba was great and the two of them became fast friends and it remained the two of them for a while.

June 2nd 2002.

Lee is outside doing sit-ups unaware that he's being watched from someone living in the house across the street. Uchiha Sasuke hums a second as if to say 'never seen you before'. Lookig up from his book, Neji cocks a brow then glances past his friend to the window.

"What's so interesting out there?" He asks.

Pointing, he replies. "This boy,"

Blinking, Neji gets up from the arm chair heading over to the couch. Placing one knee down on the seat he pulls over a bit of the curtain to look out just as quick as he did this he returned it in front of the glass then took a normal seat on the couch. "Shit."

"What?" Mimicking his friends posture, he cocks his head to the side. "Who is that?"

"The biggest headache you'll ever meet." Returning to the arm chair he retrieves the book he set down. "Back when I was a kid," he then began saying. "We lived in the same apartment complex. We started out as friends but as time went by everyday with the 'Neji, Neji', its tiresome."

"Mm." Responds the bluenet.

Neji's digital watch starts to beep and he turns it off without a second thought.

"What's that for?"

"Hm?" He tried to look surprised. "Nothing. I need to use the restroom." Getting up he leaves the spacious living room heading for the downstairs bathroom.

Watching his friends departure, Sasuke then glances back at the window before getting up and leaving his house.

"23... 24..." He lowers his self to the grass a couple hard pants escape his mouth before he comes back up. "25..." Down. Up. "26."

"1."

Says another voice at his side. Startled, Lee jumps a foot, clutching his hand to his chest seeing someone sitting there. Why didn't he hear him walk up? He watched the boy for a moment, then returned to his own counting. If this person wanted to join him he was fine with it, its nice to have someone to work out with him. Kiba is busy visiting his grandparents this week and its been pretty lonely without him. He should have made more friends by now but he's been so busy with Kiba tugging him around for a year it was kind of hard.

"Yo." The boy finally said after reaching 15.

"Hello." Says Lee with less calm in his voice as the boy. Its about quitting time. Stopping after coming back up, he places his index and middle finger to his neck. Looking at his watch he checks his heart rate while catching his breath. It seems normal. Turning to his visitor whose stopped as well, he holds out a hand. "I'm Rock Lee."

"Uchiha Sasuke." He shakes his hand. "Are you new here? I've never seen you before."

"Yes. I moved in with my uncle last year. I'm gonna be staying with him until my Junior year." Grinning, he says happily. "Its nice to meet you!"

Smirking, Sasuke laughs to himself.

Cocking a brow, Lee asks sportingly. "What's so funny?"

Shrugging, Sasuke says. "You're funny looking, Lee."

"You think so?" He laughs.

Shaking his head, he used the boys shoulder to support him as he stands. "Yeah." Brushing the grass from his clothes he asks. "You wanna hang out tomorrow?" He juts his thumb across the street. "I live right over there."

Looking at the house, he says. "Yeah! Thank you." Shooting up from the grass, he rocks on his feets a bit. Letting out a breath he straightens up. "You'll come to get me right? I'm here all day."

"Lee!" Calls Gai from what sounds like the distance of the kitchen. "Its 4:15!"

Cupping a hand beside his mouth he shouts back. "I'm coming Ozisan! See you tomorrow Sasuke." With a bow he turns on his heels and heads inside the house.

"Sure." Sasuke says to the boys retreating back. Hands into his pockets he strolls across the street picking up his pace when he sees his brother's car speeding down the street a little faster than usual which could only mean that Kisame is driving. He wished his brother would stop letting his boyfriend drive, once he almost hit him, which is why he'd sped up upon seeing them.

The horn beeped and Sasuke waves a hand before disappearing inside.

Gai gives the glass to Lee then hands him an Atropine to drop inside. "I see you've met the neighbor's boy," says his uncle with pride in his voice.

Nodding as he drinks, the water in the glass bobbing up and down as he does this; Lee finishes his daily chore then sets the glass into the sink. "His name is Sasuke, we're gonna hang out tomorrow."

"Wonderful!" He slaps a hand onto his shoulder. "I knew my Lee would be the hit of the country."

Blushing, he responds by saying. "I've only made one friend in an entire year."

Wagging a finger the, uneasily swayed from his opinion, male says. "Best friends are hard to turn into more, so sometimes it takes a while but soon you'll have dozens of friends."

"Oh sure, Ozisan." Says Lee while thinking. What would I do with all those friends?

December 20th, 2003.

"If I had known it would be this cold I would have stayed home and read." Complained Neji rubbing his coat clad arms vigorously, hoping that that would supply him with some more heat.

"Where's your inner body heat. Nene?" Says the Uchiha shouldering the boy as he skates past.

"I left it at home in front of the fireplace." Retorts the male. "Where's Lee?" He asks looking about the ice. He spotted Kiba speeding around easily, but no sign of the skinny 14 year old.

Looking around, Sasuke shrugs. "I saw him fall somewhere." He looks about the rink again. "There he is, I'll get him." Skating away from the wall, Sasuke scoops up the helpless child, allowing him to support his weight on him.

Neji, sitting on the bench beside the rink, replaces the covers to the blades of his skates. Giving them a securing pat he then walks over to the snack stand set out in the center of the snow covered field. "4 please." He says to the woman behind the counter then takes out his wallet.

The young woman blushed taking one look at the 15 year old. She's never seen anyone so striking! And the wintery back-drop was only aiding his fine features. Shaking herself from staring, she begins to fix the drinks. "Would you like a shot of flavor in any of these, we have um..."

"No. Thank you." He interrupts her setting the money onto the counter top. Looking past her to small wracks of baking sheets. "And a cinnamon twist as well."

"Just the one?" She asks.

"Yes." Neji looks back out at the ice to locate his friends, looking back to the counter when the sound of the paper holder slides across to him, he picks it up then grabs the doughnut. "Thank you."

"Uh sure, have a nice day." She calls after him.

Returning to the bench, he sets the cocoa down beside him then opens the warm pastry taking a bite from it. Watching Sasuke and Lee work on keeping the taller boy balanced was hillarious and he knew he wouldn't here the end of the Uchiha's complaining once they were alone. Neji didn't think it was such a good idea hanging out with his childhood friend again but Lee had proven real maturity about the whole thing having grown up without him over the years. He's no longer that five year old brat following him around calling him cool and showing any little thing that he thought would interest him when it didn't. He's like... normal- sort of. Lee introduced them to his friend Kiba, whom Sasuke knew from summer camp many years ago. Neji noticed the rambunctious boy at school from time to time but never thought much about him. Kiba's actually really nice. Setting his dessert down on his lap, he grabs a hot chocolate uncaps it then takes a long drink, not really caring about the burn just so long as it took the nip from his bones. He's used to the harsh winters having lived here for so long but it can still be biting a bit.

Neji was much better off than Lee is right now when he experienced his first winter living here. He's pretty much a natural at everything he does but still its strange; it didn't snow in the part of Tokyo where he and his childhood friend used to live. So the change was great by far. His father actually thought something terrible was coming when snow just began to fall from the sky. They've seen it on tv but to actually see it in person, major freak show.

"Don't pull me down with you!"

He hears Sasuke shout right before his butt hit the ice rather hard.

Snickering, he calls to them. "Let's call it a day, you guys! Lee will freeze to death by the time he gets it."

Kiba skates up beside the two like a bat out of hell to help Sasuke scoop up his friend. "Up we go." He slings one of his arms around him. "You'll get it." Assured Kiba.

"I'll keep practicing, I promise." Says Lee.

The skaters stop by the bench quickly nabbing for a drink when they see that Neji bought them one. Everyone but Lee who is holding onto the wooden pole surrounding the rink. He's breathing hard like he can't find his breath.

"Lee," Neji says. "Are you alright."

"I'm... fine.." He smiles weakly giving a thumbs up to them.

"But your lips are blue." Insists the male.

Straightening up, Lee says "I'm really cold guys." right before he collapses onto the snow.

May 1, 2004. 4:12 p.m.

Since his accident over winter break Rock Lee has been trying to further build his stamina. He simply can't keep having these problems because if he does his mother will continue to smother him and force him to come back home to be under her care. He's doing fine with his uncle and since he's moved here he's really only ever had two major attacks. A couple gasped breaths here and there are nothing. But man, he had no clue just how rough the winters were in the country side. Lee guessed that it was because, like in the city, there are no tall buildings to cut back on the wind from blowing through your clothes. Not to mention snow. Neji told him that it looks like smaller feathers dropping from the sky and somehow these weightless things turn into heavy snow. That's just so odd. Winter mostly took him by surprise because he'd spent the year before at home in Tokyo with his uncle and family, he had no clue what he was in for because if he had he'd of worn one more shirt and long-johns under his jeans.

So now, Rock Lee is outside building resistance in the nippy May air. Power walking down the side walk, each cheek moving with his hurried pace. It actually looked like the boy was sweeping the side walk with how his feet are shuffling along the concrete. Arms bent to a perfect right angle pushing forward and back with his legs, maybe a human choo choo best described the sight that passersbys were giggling at a bit. But Lee paid them no mind, he looked funny and he knew it, everyone who walks like this looks funny its the price you have to pay when you're unable to run. A few people wave at him, some say 'hello', but he can only nod speaking while he's trying to keep his breathing even would be costly. Rounding a corner, he stops upon hitting a small crowd of people waiting to cross the street. Good time for a break. Ceasing his movement, he places his fingers to his neck while checking his watch.

Not bad. He acknowledges. Shivering from the wind that just blew by, he begins to move with the human traffic that was heading across the street. Pace a little more rapid than he expected Lee decided it was time for an actual break. Walking a bit further he spots a bench. Perfect. At least he thought so until a hill caught his eye. Wetting his lips he brings the bottom one in for a nibble. Okay. If I can't make it up that hill for a rest then I'll do twenty nine push-ups to make up for it. With an affirmed nod, he turns at the bench and starts up the hill. It was a bit steeper than he thought, having to pump his legs gave him a second wind though as he paced up the mini erosion of earth.

As he hit the top ready to give himself a little cheer his words sputtered to a hault. The top of the hill is already being occuppied by three boys. A blond, a brunet, and a red head who is staring at him right now. His foamy colored gaze locked hard with his own. Lee's never seen anyone so striking before, this boy just stole his breath away. His pale face, his red hair, peaceful, yet, bitter look on his face. He's strange and yet beautiful. The staring contest seemed to last forever until this boy blinked therefore releasing the hold he had on Lee.

"S- sorry." He choked out before speeding down the hill back to the bench. He could wait to use the hill, after all they were there first. Taking a seat on the bench below he settles his nerves that were running all over the place. He really shouldn't let those sorts of things get to him so easily. He's seen cute people before, look at his friends! But this boy, something about him was... different.

It was about a half hour later when the three boys came walking down the hill, talking and joking with each other about something Lee couldn't hear, except for the boy he had been staring at, who was just sort of walking beside the two, though, Lee can tell he was listening to them.

"Bye man!" Shouted the blond. It didn't even seem he needed much effort to shout either, he just naturally talked that way.

"Bye." Says the red head over his shoulder as he's once again locked in a gaze with Lee while passing by him. It looked like he was trying to figure out whom he might be, or if he's ever seen him before.

It was starting to make Lee uncomfortable, he's never had such a hard gaze on him before of course he was no better since he's staring back. But its thankful that he chose to stare back as well, if he hadn't he wouldn't have seen the sight he was about to witness. Pulse racing, he starts to run toward the male who was beginning to cross the street just as a mini sports car was speeding down it.

"Hey!" He called to the kid. "Watch out!"

But he wasn't fast enough and what he saw next would be burned into his brain forever. The young boy turned his gaze just in time to see the car coming at him but even if he did notice it sooner he never would have been fast enough to get out of the way as the car slammed right into him. A scream tore through the air from a woman who, like Lee, was watching the whole thing as a 12 maybe 13 year old boy was hurled back about ten feet before smacking into the concrete with an impact so hard Lee could actually hear the boys nose break with a loud popping sound, he may have even lost some teeth. He toppled over three times before coming to a stop, face down against the curb of the street. The driver of the car slowed for a moment, but sped off after having a brief panic attack. He wasn't the only one panicking as a small crowd began to gather around the boy who was hit. The red heads hands came down onto the ground and he slowly tried to lift himself up, arms shaking in pain as he did so. He looked like a zombie that got hold of a very satisfying meal, blood smeared all over his face.

Shaking like a leaf from a tree himself, Lee pulled out his cell calling an ambulance telling them to hurry as soon as they could. They tried to get more out of him, but his shaken body had been through enough; blood pressure higher than normal even after he had had a long enough break while sitting on the bench. Vision blurred heavily, Lee felt himself starting across the street toward the fallen boy, he only made it far enough to drop down above him on the street.


	2. We Share a Room

Author's Note: KakaIru *gasp* How could you? But yeah, traffic I get, so if you can read, you read. I like to do like Funny Girls and scream in traffic. Just for fun, I don't have road rage. Oh this is gonna be a complete role swap for every thing that happened in the last one. And I'll update as quickly as I can, its a shorty this story.

XGaaraXLoverX I would never abandon this story and thank you so much. It really means a lot to me, because I've got a goal and its to be up the standard of one of my favorite writers on the net and my favorite author in the whole world... *loving sigh* Louise Penny. She's wonderful. I think if you read it you'll see its super mushy, I never see my mush it always seems like... eh you could get mushier. But its definitely in here. The best part, they get to touch each other in this one! Ahahaha!

...

May 1 2004...

Tsuna Gaara fell in love with funerals from the tender age of 5. Something about the way a corpse looks fascinated him, and he just didn't know why. It wasn't until he was 11 that he figured out what it was. Its that the person always seemed to be smiling. They look calm, at peace... alive. Gaara couldn't say he's ever felt any of those things, not to the extent of smiling anyway. And that left him forever wondering about the dead. What goes on beyond the point of leaving the body? He's heard talk of Heaven and Hell, but he believes neither of those things he only believes that you rejoin infinity and with that there is some devine feeling that courses through you and gives you happiness.

And now today, Gaara is adjusting his tie in the mirror as he readies his self for another funeral his father, Hesuke and uncle Yashamaru have been invited to attend. Gaara always insists that he go too, and since his mother is out-of-order as he calls it they have no choice but to allow him to go. Downstairs the sounds of shuffling feet can be heard, so quickly he leaves his room slipping on his dress shoes when reaching the genkan. Kneeling down he ties the laces up then follows his uncle out the front door. The three men load into the hearse; Gaara looks over the back seat at the body they are bringing to be cremated. He can't see the man but he knows what he looks like because he's been down in the basement many times without his father or uncle knowing of it. Gaara liked to talk to the bodies just as much as he liked to ponder their eternal smiles.

Mr. Ogata will probably be cried over. No one ever understood death so they cry about it. Gaara didn't cry, infact he outright laughed a couple times during the services causing people to glare. Tsuna Gaara was then given the nickname 'black cloud' behind his back of course, though, even if he heard it he probably wouldn't care.

"Seat belt on, Gaara."

Smiling at his uncle he says quietly. "I'd hit the back of your seat, your the ones at risk of going through the windshield." Though he slips on his seat belt. He never disobeyed his uncle, who loves him with all his heart, and whom he loves in return.

Gaara liked taking the hearse to places, watching all the people on the streets dip their heads in respect for the dead. Usually they'd take the car whenever they leave, but since his father is a mortition and generally has the deceased its only right he drive the long black car when attending funerals. The weather was dull today the clouds thick in the sky. The Ogata family and Mr. Ogata's friends are probably feeling this is some sort of sign that the world is sad with them as well. Gaara just wishes he brought his umbrella.

The cemetary approached and the car began to slow down. Once the family was out and his father and uncle began to remove the body to the place Gaara called the 'human couldren', they make their way into the dining hall for the first meal while the body is taken through the burning process. The meal was relatively silent as the family kept their personal thoughts a secret. The young boy liked it better when people spoke kindly of the person that died. He hoped he got something like that at his funeral. It'd be pointless though, because Gaara wanted away as fast as he could get there. He would leave his how ever many years old body lying for dead as his spirit soared away to the great beyond. His uncle wrote wonderful obituaries. He makes it seem like he really knew the person when the family never gives him anything specific to say and he often sits with the man while he types out what's to be sent to the newspaper. He doesn't help him think of things to say, but his uncle seems to appreciate the shrug his nephew offers.

Once the meal was done everyone moved outside to begin the service. Each family member said something sweet and nice, how much they're going to miss Mr. Ogata or they'd throw in a joke or two. When the monk asked if anyone else had something they would like to say, Gaara stood from his seat and walked over to the podium. He knew what it was that Mr. Ogata would like to hear and in a very clear voice he said.

"Now that you've made it, don't ever live again." And with that he was ready to head home so he went to the car leaving a hoard of weeping woman and infuriated men in his wake. The dark cloud struck again.

Gaara was driven home and dropped off. His father had to take another body and his uncle went along to help him as he always does. Gaara walked past his mother, without so much as a spared glance as he reaches the landing of the stairs calling up them. "Temari?" He knew Kankurou wouldn't be home at this time of day but his sister might. When there was no reply, he walked into the kitchen to check the notepad stuck on the wall right around the corner from the entrance. Sure enough there was a note written there from his sister.

Out for a while, stick dinner in the oven around five I'll be home to take care of the rest. Temari.

_Great._ Walking from the kitchen he heads upstairs into his bedroom. From his dresser he pulls out a small drawer of dead flies and with a tooth pick that he keeps atop the dresser he pokes the stick through the first one he sees then he drops it into the mouth of his venus fly trap, Shikaku. The plant snapped its mouth down over it allowing Gaara to slide the tooth pick from the bug easily. Watching for a moment as the plants head swelled and shrank from acid burning away at its meal he realizes that he's bored to tears and needs some quick company. In his closet he goes for something comfortable to wear, he returns into his bedroom in jeans and a camel colored t-shirt, he then heads downstairs and slips his feet into a pair of black sandles that are all the rage among the teens these days. Checking himself over, he leaves the house after saying 'goodbye' to his mother. Surely Naruto had something entertaining to do today. That boy is a ball of energy and is always the first to think of something for he and their other friend Shikamaru to do.

...

"Naruto?" Says Minato the blond's, just as full of pep filled, father. "He's at Chouji's for a birthday party. Didn't you get an invite?"

Eyes scrunched for a second, Gaara says. "I had a previous engagement but it ended early. Thank you anyway." He turns and leaves.

Scratching his head, Minato wonders how his son could be best pals with such a gloomy kid. But he's had some odd ball friends when he was younger, so he guessed like father like son really is true.

Gaara was unsuccessful at the Nara home as well, the smart boys mother telling him that he was also at this Chouji's birthday party, she gave him the address so now Gaara is heading over there and he doesn't look the least bit happy.

...

The party is small but very warm and inviting. Chouji was having a blast with his friends, dancing, eating, games that could end up with kissing someone should the passed about card slip- which he noticed happened a lot when it was passed from his best friend, whom thanks to his best friend he hasn't seen in ages, and the spunky blond boy Uzumaki Naruto. Chouji would hang out with Shikamaru more if it weren't for the black cloud hanging over the stickly boys head. But what can you do?

It was around 3:45 that the lights were lowered and a large chocolate cake was carried into the living room of the Akimichi home. Chouji's big face lit up with joy at the sight of the cake he's been eyeing all day now lit up with 14 candles around the rim so the center wouldn't get messed up.

The boy's father who showcases what his son will look like in 20 or so years, smiled just as wide seeing the happy look on the boys face. "As rules go, Chouji gets his name on the cake."

Everyone laughed seeing as how 'Chouji' was written rather largely on the cake.

"Right on!" Cheered the new to 14 year old. Sucking in a breath its choked back when his father shouts.

"Not until we've sang the birthday song!"

Cracking a peeved eye open he says, "Warn a guy before yelling will ya."

"And a one and a two..." He waved his finger back and forth as the kids at the party began to sing.

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Chouji!" But on the last line, the front door of the Akimichi home flew open like a terrible wind had struck it.

All eyes turn to the front door seeing a boy they know from school, but for some have never seen. His arms are crossed and a scowl looks glued to his face. His frost green eyes survey the room for something or someone as he steps inside.

A shiver ran down Naruto's spine as he exits on tip-toe to the kitchen, hoping Shikamaru is somewhere behind him.

Eyes locked on the loudly dressed blond, Gaara snaps. "Its no use Naruto, I can see you there."

He laughs weakly before saying in a high voice. "I get that all the time, people thinking I'm my twin brother he's actually at home... slee- WAHA O-OW!" He's nearly choked from his collar being nabbed from behind. "Ga- Gaaara! Long time no see buddy. Funeral over already?"

"It ended earlier than expected." Says the boy in a bored tone. "We're leaving."

"Wait a minute!" Says a blonde girl, foot stamping the floor. "You can't just boss people around like that, this is a birthday party and if you weren't invited-..."

Gaara looks at Chouji then the cake that has yet to be blown out. Leaning over he sucks in a quick breath then blows out the candles. "You should have wished for a smaller cake." Looking back at his friends he says. "Let's go."

With a nervous laugh, Shikamaru looks apologetically at his childhood best friend. "What can I do? Great party Chouji. Happy birthday."

"Yeah, great party." Chimed Naruto. "Up until Gaara showed up... why does he always have to ruin everything? He doesn't even know the guy and he blows out the... if I weren't slightly scared of him I'd sta-..."

"Faster Naruto, don't wanna keep his majesty waiting." Says Shikamaru. "See you around Chouji."

"Bye... guys." Says the confused and somewhat hurt boy as he watched his friends disappear beyond the front door.

The three boys walk in silence to where they aren't quite sure since their kidnapper refuses to speak to them. The location looks familiar though. Shikamaru assumed that they are heading to their favorite hill in which they would lay out for the day and gaze at the puffs of cloud going by. Smiling to himself, the Nara boy tilts his head back to look at the sky. Cloudy but thick with a hint of rain to come.

"Gaara?" He walked a pace quicker to fall into step with the silent boy. "Don't tell me you're upset about us going to Chouji's birthday party?"

Gaara's eyes scrunch.

_Yeah, he's mad. How troublesome to have to deal with when I was having such a nice day._ Placing his hand carefully on the enraged boy's shoulder, he says in a calm patient tone. "Don't be mad. We would have invited you too if you weren't at the funeral, you said it yourself you'd be gone for a while."

"Yeah!" Naruto threw in to help a brother out.

"Besides, the party was spur of the moment. Chouji called up and asked."

Gaara stopped dead in his tracks. Shrugging off the Nara boys hand, he turned to drill holes through him with his eyes. "...'Spur of the moment'?" He repeats. "Your parents told me you had invites, that you planned to go- how odd it was that I wasn't invited." He turns and strides off again.

Slumping his shoulders, he then straightens up with a slapped hand to the side of his forehead. He didn't need this today. I should have just stayed at the party. "But you're not friends with him, I was just thinking about you."

"Bullshit." He starts up the hill.

"Not bullshit! Its true!" Says Naruto. "Shikamaru said 'don't let Gaara find out, you know he'll only be mad and tell us not to go', didn't you?"

Balling up his fist, shikamaru resist the urge to sock his loud mouth friend right in the kisser, but instead he follows Gaara up the hill. "It wasn't meant to be said that way. You really wouldn't have had much fun, the fact that you were gone is why we decided to do it. We never would have if you didn't have plans first. Are Naruto and I just supposed to sit around and wait for you?"

Gaara stopped walking, back stiff, head down. Here it comes. But he shocked them both by taking a seat on the ground, laying down with arms and legs stretched out, eyes closed. Both of them seemed physically releaved there wasn't gonna be some big explosion so they took a lay with him. Shikamaru laying down opposite Gaara, their heads facing each other. Naruto lay in between them at the middle, head facing the direction they'd just come. Then silence. Then Shikamaru and Naruto begin speaking quietly.

Sighing, Gaara thinks to himself. If only I were dead. Taking in a deep breath he held it as his thoughts drift towards the sky. Light-headedness came so quickly as his mental soul drifted up, up into the sky. He can see his friends laying there, he can see himself. He smiles with silent laughter since they don't have a clue. They'll probably cry not knowing that their friend is happy to be gone or maybe they'd be happy that he's gone as well. Like his mother. She seems to be in a better place otherwise she would snap out of it. Gaara laughed his held breath out. That's actually really funny. He thinks to himself.

"Hm?" Naruto turns his head, shooting his glance diagonal. "What's so funny?"

Shaking his head, the back matting into the grass. "Nothing." He replies then opens his eyes turning his head away from Naruto's attempt at meeting his gaze. There really was nothing funny. He just felt the laugh shoot out without his meaning for it to.

Turning his head to Shikamaru, Naruto wound a finger beside his ear. The thin boy nodded to agree. Silence fell over them now no sound but the wind nipping by. No there is something. Watching curiously at his right, he sees something moving up the hill. Obviously its a person but its hard to really tell with the way a shining black mop is wobbling back and forth the way it is. It could be a weird looking dog sniffing its way up the hill. No. Its a boy.

Gaara met his gaze and the boy looked back intensely. Maybe too intensely. He can't say he's ever had someone look at him so hard before, the boys wide eyes seemed to drink in his soul. The boy seemed rattled, almost shoved by something invisible and he said quickly.

"Sorry." Before dashing off down the hill.

"Hm?" Shikamaru turns his head seeing nothing. "What was that?" He asks.

Tilting his head back, Naruto has an upside down shot of nothing as well. "What's what?"

Gaara only stared after the boys absence wondering what it was he'd seen in him to make him stare so hard. It didn't matter. Closing his eyes, he relaxed himself into a small nap.

...

"I'm telling you, the Chinese say that crickets are lucky so I'm gonna give one to Ramen for lunch."

Shikamaru was snowballed by that. "Naruto." He said dejectedly. "Why catch a lucky cricket just to feed it to a pet frog?"

"Because crickets are gross!" He shivered just feeling the nasty little thing bouncing about in his cupped hands. "And Ramen is usually always with me so I just figure if he eats it, it'll always be with him." He grins as wide as the length of a bus at his ingenuis plan.

"Until he takes a shit." Says the Nara boy with just the slightest hint of 'duh' behind it.

Gaara wondered where Naruto even found a cricket at in the grass, he thought all bugs were dead for the season. But he didn't know much about them even though he's best friends with a bug lord, Aburame Shino.

At the turn off for them to head home, Gaara spotted that boy again. This time he started the staring contest with him, his friends farewells unheard. He wanted to let the boy know that he could stare at someone just as hard. But as he watched him while moving away, the boy looked terrified all of a sudden. Thinking that he was about to hit a pole he hears the boy shout.

"Watch out!"

Turning his head, everything seemed to go in slow motion as an oncoming car barreled right into him. He felt like he had been shoved so hard the wind knocked completely out of him. His breath remained out of his body as he flew backward, eyes closed tight, scrunching in more as his face made very hard contact with the street. A loud popping sound filled his ears before a fog clouded his mind and liquid dripped behind his eyes. His face sank in a bit where his nose would usually keep him on balanced for at least a bit. His arms hurt, but he wanted to get out of the way. Placing his hands to the street his arms begin to shake as the broken bone refused to support him and he fell flat faced to the ground.

4 4 4 4

Lee was struggling to breathe. The ambulance had to pick up both the strange boy and himself from fainting in the street. He'd bumped his head pretty hard on the street before nothing but numbness came on as his body began to shake from lack of oxygen. The sirens screamed around them so loudly, then shouting as four parametics picked them carefully from the street and placed them onto gurney's to be put into the amublance. They drove quickly down the street placing an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose telling him to calm down and breathe in deeply. How could he calm down?! He's never seen someone get hit by a car before it was horrible! He wondered how that poor boy was doing before he drifted away into sleep...

One eye cracked open, Lee then opens the other one seeing his uncle zooming in on him at a rapid pace.

"My Lee, you're awake!" He held him tightly, lifting his back from the bed to rock the boys nearly limp body back and forth with his own.

"Uncle," he pants. "You're making me light headed again."

Panicked, Gai nearly dropped Lee to the bed but he remembered gentle touches and laid him down carefully, patting Lee's chest a bit once he was comfortably against the bed. The man wiped his arm across his eyes, the tears wet the sleeves on his casual, blue shirt. "I'm just so glad that you're alright. You slept for a day and a half, the doctor's said you were fine though you'll need surgery."

"That's good- surgery!?" He squeeked out loudly. He didn't want to go under the knife. That's why he does what he does. The excersize and pills, what's it all for? There are so many things that can go wrong during an opperation and he doesn't want to risk a single one on his person.

"Yes, the doctors want to attach an implantable difribrillator to your heart so you can continue to have a steady rhythm."

"But I don't want that." Lee protested watching absently as his uncle clicked the top of the call button to alert the nurses. "Wh- what are they gonna do it now?!" He tried to get out of the bed, but his uncle held him down. "Let me go! I'm fine, look!" He tried to example some jumping jacks to the strong man, but he couldn't get out of bed. "Uncle, let go." He said with a deep frown.

"I won't. You need this Lee." The man's eyes begin to tear up again. "I called your parents, they're on their way here."

Lee felt defeated at that point and he settled back into the bed. Why did this have to happen anyway?

A tall young nurse came into the room, her sneakers squinch as she enters. "Lee-san, you're awake." She said cheerfully. Checking the pressure on the sphygmomanometer attached to his arm, she only smiles as Lee grits at her. Stethascope to his chest she asks. "Please take a deep breath for me."

After a moment, he sucked in a breath. "Miss. Can you tell me what happened to the boy I called an ambulance for?" He let the breath out then continued to take deep breaths.

"A boy?" She questioned while writing on the boys chart.

Nodding, Lee says. "He has red hair and eye brows aand green eyes." Describing the most destinctive thing about him.

The nurse thought a moment, finger tapping to her cheek then she snapped her fingers together. "Oh yes, he's right over here." She pulls a curtain aside.

Lee and Gai turn their heads to see a very bandaged young boy laying in the bed beside his own. He looked dead. So still and lifeless. Wrappings here and there.

Poor boy. Thinks Lee.

"I'm afraid he's gone into a coma."

"A coma!"

The woman holds up her hands. "I can't really discuss the details, but don't worry Lee-san, your friend will be just fine in a few days. He's very lucky."

"Yes he is." Says Lee. He blushed a bit after a second thought. He wished the boy was his friend. He seems... interesting. Plus he wouldn't feel weird about asking why he'd stared at him. "Ozisan?"

"Yes, Lee."

"I'm kind of hungry. Do you think you could-..."

Snapping to his feet the man salutes. "It would be my pleasure. I'll see what they have, be back in a bit."

"Thank you." When his uncle was gone, Lee slipped carefully out of bed, one tiny breathless huff escaping him from his actions. And he slipped over to the boys bed; his moniter beeping a bit more rapidly from his movement. "I'm sorry I didn't shout sooner." Seeing his chart he reads the boys name off. "Tsuna, Gaara." Smiling he says. "Nice to meet you Gaara-kun, my name is Rock Lee."

The boy just lay there.

Frowning, Lee takes the boys hand. "Do you mind if I talk to you for a while?" He waits a moment as though the boy has answered. "Thanks. I won't be a burdon to you. I promise." Pulling up a seat, he rest his chin on the silver bar set at the side of the bed. "I'm staying at the hospital with you for a while. I guess the place must be a little over crowded because we share a room together. I've got hypotension and my parents and uncle think its a good idea for me to get a surgery done. You're in a coma right now, but don't worry the nurse says it might be a light coma and you'll wake up in no time." He continues to caress the boy's hand with the pad of his thumb. "This is so awkward because I never really know what to say to people, I'm kind of a dork." He chuckles. "What about you? I'll bet you're really popular. Do you know anyone that I know? I saw you with your two friends on the hill." Smiling faintly he says. "Do you... think that maybe I could be one of them? -Your friend I mean?"

Silence.

"How 'bout we make a promise to get out of here at the same time? If we can do that, we can dub ourselves best friends forever. That way we'll never be alone again. What do you say? Deal?"

Silence.

With a big grin, Lee nods. "Good. Sweet dreams, Gaara."


	3. I talked To You

1 week later...

Naruto is going down the stairs in his home at top speed. He's just finished loading his backpack with his school needs after taking a quick shower at 5:50 that morning. Breakfast was a large bowl of peanut butter Captain Crunch, then a quick stop in the bathroom to brush his teeth, humming as he does so. Stopping at the front door he pulls it open greeting the sun with a huge, eye closing, grin. "Monday!" He declared gleefully.

But just as he starts to leap out of the door and take off towards the Nara place, he's flying- literally flying; his legs are just winding in mid-air as he tried to continue running. Realizing his toes haven't touched grass yet, he winds his legs even harder with a few grunts and groans like maybe he'd been set in slow motion or something. But after a moment he realized that something was wrong. Naruto ceases his useless running then opens his eyes to see, standing beside him, his father; he's got him by the collar holding him up like a hook and Naruto is a slab of beef in a butcher's window.

Uzumaki Minato inspects his son up and down while keeping a firm grip on the collar of the boys white uniform shirt. "Books?" He asks.

Snickering the blond boy grins with a thumbs up. "Every one." His legs begin their run again, but again he goes nowhere. "What gives! I'm gonna be late for school!"

"Homework?" The man continued to grill his son, free-hand coming up on his hip.

Again he makes his struggling sounds. "Y-eeee-ssss."

Giving the boy a good whiff, he smiles with a nod. "Yup, took a shower."

"Why you-..." Naruto threatened, taking useless swings at the larger male. "Let go- Whoaa- hoo!" He's flung like a doll from the front door, hearing it slam behind him; his father's laughter being cut short by this.

The curtain moved at the window. "Bye son!" Minato called with a quick wave.

Skittering to his knees more than surprised he didn't rip them. Naruto gets on his haunches brushing the gravel from his pant legs. "That guy..." Mutters the boy. "Everytime... thinks he's so funny." Setting a hand on the plushy thing his face had smacked into, to help him up, Naruto turns his head straight to see what he'd half landed on; he usually hits the grass or the pavement. But not this time.

Naruto looks up to see that the plump child, Chouji, has broken his fall. Chouji grinned triumphantly.

"Good catch right?" He cheers himself.

"Yeah man! A fat-ass like you makes a great landing pad." He straightens up patting the boy on the back good-naturedly.

Fist balled, Chouji knocks Naruto on his ass with a push hard enough to send him back quite a few steps. That only made Naruto's comment a little more truthful as only someone with big meaty mitts could give such a powerful shove.

"Naruto don't make fun of Chouji." Insist Shikamaru beginning to head towards the sidewalk.

"Yeah, especially after I saved you a piece of my birthday cake." He reminded the boy of a few days ago when he'd brought it over for the energetic blond to eat before they took off for the arcade that day.

"Alright, alright... I'm sorry." Though he sounded like he had a roll of the eyes mixed with it. He stuffs his hands into his pockets, a hunch to his shoulders as he pouts into place beside his best friend and the food bringer.

The three walked in silence for a bit. Each thinking about their own thing, which brought Shikamaru to wonder something.

"Nee, Naruto? Did you buy a gift for Gaara yet? You know he woke up over the weekend- Temari told me, and he'll be released from the hospital maybe after today."

Solemnly he says, "I didn't. I'm no good with gifts for hospitalized people. Gaara especially! That guy's hard to shop for."

"I'll bet." Comments Chouji.

Sad faced, Naruto says quietly. "Imagine, being hit by a car."

"Yeah." Agree the other two boys.

"Then ending up in a coma!" Says Naruto with bewilderment in his tone.

"Yeah." Again the two boys agree.

Chouji looks up at the sky then down at his sandeled feet. "Do you think its karma?"

In a bland tone the Nara boy asks. "For what?"

"For always being so sour- I heard the car that hit him was a pretty sweet ride."

Shikamaru and Naruto bite down their snickers. It really wasn't right to make fun of someone in the hospital.

"You'd better not let Gaara find out you said that." Warns Shikamaru.

"That's how he ended up there in the first place!" Declared Chouji throwing his arms up into the air.

...

At the hospital. A middle-aged nurse is writing briskly on Gaara's chart, smiling sweetly at the young boy every now and then as if to console him that nothing is wrong so far. Gaara's best friend, Aburame Shino, is sitting on the stool beside him watching the woman silently, waiting for her to leave the room so the two can speak comfortably. Since his arrival Shino had to wait twenty minutes in the hall while a nurse gave Gaara a bath and when she was finished- and he was covered, his bedding got changed. She then gave the boy a massage to make sure his muscles weren't stiff. Tsuna Gaara has been in a coma for a week and a half and it showed all over his face and body the extent of how he got there. Because of the accident, Gaara had a broken arm, one cracked rib which was healing nicely as the nurse had told the red head; Gaara's nose hadn't broken but it was banged pretty hard from the impact, he was lucky in that aspect. But he would rather have a broken nose than the weird rings around his eyes caused by the head trauma. Shino wasn't sure if he should tell the boy or not but Gaara had been the one to point it out right when the Aburame boy sat down, saying 'raccoon eyes'. It was ironically the medical term they called the two black ringed eyes. Only they didn't put into days or months to the boy when that particular problem would go away. And from what Gaara felt the doctors must have shaved his bruised eyebrows for an opperation or the skid across the street had shredded them away. Either way he felt that he must look like a monster.

"I'll be by soon with your lunch, alright?" Informed the nurse.

Gaara nodded watching the woman leave the room before turning his attention to Shino.

Scooting a little closer to the bed, he asks in his deep tone. "When are you coming back to school?"

"...3 days I think she said. Or maybe it was three days the last time I had asked." He couldn't remember. "They wanna make sure that the coma didn't have any lasting effects on me."

"I see." Says Shino. "I wish for your speedy recovery." He holds out a hand with a small paper crane in it, and beside it is what seems to be a paper grasshopper?

Taking them, Gaara smiled believing the grasshopper must be from Naruto, but then he remembered that the older boy and Naruto don't really know each other all that well. It sure was strange, though, to have Shino make him a grasshopper. Gaara remembered Naruto had found a cricket when they were on the hill that day. But then again, Shino is a huge bug lover. He found that out the first time he'd met the older boy when he was in kindergarten; Shino must have pointed out a dozen different types of bugs to him, to distract him from being afraid. 8 years ago, Gaara had taken the wrong bus home from school that day because his brother and sister, whom he usually rides with, had after school activities so they couldn't ride with him as they normally would. The first week of school the Tsuna brother and sister told their little brother not to take the pre-school bus home, that they would pick him up after class so they all got home at the same time. He's been used to that routine for so long he didn't think twice about checking the bus number, should a day like that one come. When he got off at the fourth stop as he always does, he noticed right away that he was in the wrong neighborhood. But Shino had spotted Gaara and asked him if he was lost. Gaara told him he'd gotten on the wrong bus and Shino walked him home. The second grader has been his best friend since.

"Thank you." His face stiffens to concentrated as he looks down at his cast covered arm.

"Is something wrong?" Asks Shino noticing this.

"No, I'm just a bit tired."

"I could lea-" Shino starts to say but is cut off.

"No!" Gaara says firmly. But then his voice returns to nuetral. "Stay here."

"Alright."

Glaring at him for a second, Gaara nods then closes his eyes. "Thank you." But he doesn't fall asleep, though, he's very tired. All he can hear is the sound of his heart monitor beeping.

It was weird for Shino. Not to have the red head glare at him, he does that to everyone. But behind that glare he saw something else, what seemed to be a bit of fear.

"Shino?"

"Hm?"

"Did you see someone leave this room at anytime when you came to see me?"

Blinking, confused at such a weird question he replies, "No." He can't recall ever seeing anyone in this room except for Gaara. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"...Someone was here," he says looking down at his cast. "talking to me... I think."

"Why not ask the doctors."

Gaara nods, eyes glued to the foreign name on his cast written in green marker. Rock Lee.

4 days earlier...

"It's gonna suck when you leave the hospital, Lee." Says Kiba while chewing the cookie that used to be with Lee's lunch. "I'm not saying that I don't want you to recover or anything, it's just-..."

Lee held up a hand. He understood, the hospital makes really good food and dessert- not that he's had a single one since visitor's were allowed. The boy's friends, Neji, Sasuke, and Kiba came over after school to visit him a day after the surgery when Gai had called their parents telling them that it was alright if they came. It was weird when they'd heard about what happened. At first they thought that it was Lee who had gotten into the accident, but it was some other kid and Lee called an ambulance right before he went into shock. The boy had missed days of school while he got an opperation for a pacemaker and he's now sitting in the hospital recovering from a successful opperation.

"When are you allowed to be sent home?" Asks Neji from by the window. He's been watching traffic down below, the ambulances driving up. But beyond that was a nice view of a mountain. Lee got a good room for view. Too bad he's bed ridden most of the day.

"Tomorrow." Says the boy with a slight frown.

"You don't sound too happy about it." Comments Sasuke eyeing the small bowl of round melon, cantalope, and strawberries.

Lee shrugs. "I kind of made a deal with my roommate that we would get out of here together, but he's still in a coma."

"Who, the kid that got nailed by the car?" Kiba cocks his head in that direction. "Why would you wanna do that? Do you even know him?"

Nodding, Lee looks at the sliding curtain. "I... I don't know, his eyes looked so lonely. I thought, staying here until he woke up would really cheer him up a bit."

"But he's in a coma Lee that could take months, maybe even years to recover from," says Sasuke and after a second thought he adds. "If at all."

"I know."

The four boys turn their attention to the door when it opens. The end of Gaara's bed is the first thing they see before the boys unconscious body is fully seen, a nurse comes in after him pushing the bed. Gaara had been taken from the room to have his bath since Lee had visitors. Normally the red head would just be covered by the curtain dividing their beds.

After securing the locks on Gaara's bed wheels, the nurse peeks around the curtain at the four of them and in a kind voice she says. "I'm sorry but you're going to have to go for now, visiting hours are over soon and Lee really should be resting."

The three visitor's nod then gather their things giving Lee a quick and delicate hug good bye.

"Wait a second!" He calls to them.

Turning they cock a brow asking 'what?'

"Does anyone have a marker I can use? I'll give it back to you tomorrow."

Thinking it strange, Kiba turns his backpack around to the front, one shoulder still holding it up. "Here."

"Thank you." He takes it from him twisting it between his fingers.

"See ya."

He waved to them. With a sigh, he waits patiently while the nurse writes down Gaara's stats before elevating the boys bed. She smiled at him before leaving the room and closing the door. Sliding out of the bed, Lee carefully walks over to Gaara's taking a seat beside his bed on the stool. Taking the boys hand, he rubs it with his thumb.

"Looks like I'm getting out of here early. Sorry we couldn't go together like I'd hoped." He looked at the boys face rather than his hand. "But that doesn't mean that I won't still come to visit you. Okay?" Letting go of Gaara's hand, he uncaps the marker. "I'll be the first to write on your cast, that way you'll know I was here." Tapping the marker to his chin he rolls his wide eyes up to the ceiling in concentration. "Now let's see... Hn. I've never written on a cast before, what am I supposed to say? ...I know!"

Next time I'll protect you. Rock Lee.

Satisfied, he walks over to his own bed and falls asleep. The next day when Lee's father, mother, and uncle came to pick him up from the hospital Lee managed to sneak a hug to Gaara when everyone went out to the hall. He whispered in the boy's ear. 'I'll see you tomorrow' then left the room. Two hours later, Tsuna Gaara opened his eyes.

4 4 4 4

Present day. May 15th 2004. Tuesday.

Kankuro drove Gaara to school that morning. His brother just seemed so out of it he figured it would cheer the little guy up, since he's been in the hospital for so long, if he was surrounded by nice and familiar things. Gaara didn't speak the entire trip to the middle school even though the older boy tried to provoke conversation out of the red head.

"So, did you have a good sleep?"

Gaara turned his eyes at his brother before fixating them back on the road ahead.

"Dad was a wreck when you were gone, so was uncle Yashamaru." Kankuro looks at his brother to see what he'd thought of that. "He must have bought you a million things to put in your hospital room."

Gaara believed that, and yet when he woke up he didn't see so much as a flower arrangement at his bedside, though, his father and uncle did come by. Hesuke was never much for fatherly love or effection, in fact, he wasn't much of anything. It was like after Gaara was born both parents just decided to quit their duties as parents and live the life they've always wanted. His father, completely dedicated to work and his mother... well, she's made a world for herself that no one- not even her own husband and brother, is allowed in. At least Hesuke will acknowledge his children, he often has dinner with them when he doesn't decide he's not interested in what Temari or uncle Yashamaru has prepared. So yeah, their uncle acted a lot as both mother and father to them; never making excuses or so much as giving reason to why their actual parents don't give a damn. He just stepped into the role, handing some of the responsibility to Temari and a few average jobs like mowing the lawn, taking out the trash, and cleaning the gutters to Kankuro. Gaara got nothing but more time on his hands. But he knew his uncle loved him, hell he spoke to him didn't he?

"It must be weird, huh? Sleeping so heavily." His brother explained.

Again Gaara just looked at his brother, not knowing what the male wanted him to say. Yes, it was weird. No, it was fine. To tell the truth Gaara felt nothing at all... nothing. He shuddered just remembering the feeling, laying still in bed then waking up and having his very slow pace heart suddenly elevate to the point where he could feel each beat like a punch on the chest. He just wanted to stay home in bed. But he also wanted to see his friends, so he had to come to school. Shikamaru had brought him a new robe when he visited him at the hospital and Naruto a gameboy. He thought he might like to borrow his for as long as he'd like. Gaara thanked them for the gifts but he didn't feel like playing games or anything. The two boy's talked about their week and what happened in school, they also mentioned that they got his homework for him and what a load it was. Gaara would be spending his days at home after school just to make it all up in time and he will still have to do the new stuff that was coming in. Coma's suck.

"I'll pick you up after classes, okay bro?" Calls his brother from the window after he exits the car.

"Don't bother, I'm walking with Naruto and Shikamaru."

Looking mock offended, he snickers saying. "Excuse me. I'll call Yashamaru then and tell him that."

Gaara continued into the building without another word. The stir of people all around him made him dizzy as he walked the halls. It was like he could feel every single person he passed and it was making him sick. He needs to sit down.

Behind him, Naruto and Shikamaru- who just got off the bus, spot the red head right away. Naruto puts on a sly face creeping up behind the boy, two fingers poised for side poking. The moment he got close enough to the Tsuna boy, he jams his fingers into Gaara's sides. "You're back!" He calls happily.

Gaara jumped like he'd just been shot, a pain shot through his gut just as it had when the car slammed into him that day. Visibly shaking, the red head spins around glaring at the blond. Pacing forward a couple steps that the boy had backed up he grabs him by the collar. Growling out in a loud voice, he snarls. "Don't ever sneak up on me again! Got it!"

Confused, Naruto calms his cheer down a notch then says softly. "Got it." Turning on a bright smile once the red head released him, he says. "Glad you're back. Sorry for scaring you, I just got excited to see you." One hand behind his head he laughs nervously. "-'Kay?"

Gaara looks at him for a long while then says. "Okay." Turning around, his shoulders tense when Naruto's arm slips around them but they ease back to a calm slight slump. He felt guilty all of a sudden. He didn't mean to make Naruto feel bad. Its not as if he has a sign on him that reads: Beware of trauma. Do not jar, shove, or startle the victim at anytime. He should apologize, Naruto is just happy to see him out of the hospital. Turning his head, he says. "I'm sorry for yelling at you."

"Huh? Hey its alright! I know you're just a little crabby. You have every right to be- aawww." Naruto, always quick to bounce back, grappled the boy in a hug.

Gaara reached a hand up touching the blond's arm.

Shikamaru watched closely for any sign of tension left in the boy's posture and seeing none he slips his arm around Gaara's and Naruto's shoulders. The three of them walk silently to class.

...

As Lee wandered through his classes he wondered how he'd managed to have such a full week of distractions. After coming home his mother said that he needed bed rest for one more day so that he could get a mother's care, so he'd skipped that day of school. The next day he spent over at Sasuke's house while the two of them studied- Lee was seriously lacking in one of his classes and it seemed to come naturally to the other boy. It was strange being older than someone by a year and they're brighter than you when they haven't even entered your grade level yet, but then again Sasuke has been called a genius by many people Lee's noticed over the years. The third day he spent at Neji's home. The Hyuuga boy was moving things and he'd asked Lee and Sasuke to come over and assist him; they were offered lunch once the time came.

The Rock child jumped at the chance to test out his new pacemaker. Normally moving things would take the wind out of him rather quickly but to Lee's amazement he'd done half the room by himself and didn't feel the least bit tired- well, not as much as he normally would have been. On the fourth day Lee spent it in doors since it had rained, he and Kiba played video games when the puddle jumping boy and his dog, Akamaru, came by to see if he wanted to come out and do the same. Nariko forbid it so the two ended up playing video games in the den and watching an action movie that was a present from his father when Lee was in the hospital. So in all he had no time to go to the hospital to see Gaara because visiting hours were always over. It was a shame and by the time he'd been able to go there Gaara was asleep but that Tsuna Gaara was to be released in a few days.

So this fine Tuesday afternoon, Lee walked the halls with his eyes peeled for the red head. He had to be somewhere. But as classes went by and he didn't see him, Lee began to wonder just how old the boy was. He could be in elementary school for all he knew. He didn't seem that young, but with the way kids grow these days it was hard to tell. Entering the lunch room, he grabs a tray and fills it with a bowl of cut fruit- the freshness of it questionable, a square of lasagna was scooped down onto the center of the tray, spinach on the smaller spot next to it and above it all a carton of grape juice- which he would give to Neji everytime. Lee brings his own energy drinks to have with lunch so he didn't need the school's and since one of his best friends likes it all the better to just keep taking them.

Twisting his drink rapidly in his hand, Kiba walks into step with Lee. "Isn't that your crush over there, Lee?" He points the carton of orange flavored juice across the cafeteria.

"He's not my 'crush', he's just a boy." Says Lee with a fierce blush on his cheeks. It wasn't that he considered Gaara a crush or anything, he just got embarrassed whenever someone brought up the subject of love. Its hard to think about loving someone and giving yourself to them. What if it doesn't work out? Do you just keep trying or should you give up and wait for someone to come along to you? He preferred the waiting game its safer on his heart.

"Yeah? Well if your eyes had snapped over that way any quicker the side of your face would have to sue for a hit-and-run," After a second thought he adds. "No offense." Then takes a seat. Opening his drink he takes a long swig, then watches Lee as the Rock boy takes a seat while watching his non-crush. "Why not go sit with him. I don't mind, the other guys are coming."

Looking like someone dumped cold water on him, he shakes his head. "I could never, plus, he's already got people sitting with him."

"So?"

"Well, they could be all he needs."

Making a face, he sighs then shakes his head. "What planet are you from anyway? A guy likes to have people around him, it makes him feel like a big shot. Go over there."

"No." He says firmly then starts to eat his lunch.

Shrugging, Kiba says over a bite of lasagna. "Suit yourself."

Across the cafeteria. Gaara is staring at Lee noticing that the boy is stealing a couple stares back.

"And then she gets in my face with that whole 'Naruto where's your homework' thing- is that unfair or what?"

Cocking a brow, Shikamaru asks. "Where is your homework, Naruto?"

"I had it! She didn't even give me a chance to whip it out! That's what's so unfair." He whines. Pouting, he crosses his arms. "Dad checked it and put it back and everything- and how grade-school is that to have your parents check your homework?"

Shikamaru snickered at how ridiculous his friend sounded just now. What does he think he's in college? Naruto's innocence would be almost embarrassing if it weren't out weighed by adorible.

"Say," like moods he's also quick to change subjects. "Did anyone else stay up late last night? They showed this old ghost movie on that old people channel." You could almost see the spooked chill that ran up and down Naruto's spine. "I almost wanted to climb into my parents bed."

Shikamaru shook his head.

"Gaara, did you see it?" He asks the red head.

Gaara said nothing, just stared.

"Gaara?" He whined. When that didn't work, he panicked thinking something happened to the boys injured brain. "Oi! Gaara, snap out of it!" He shakes him on the shoulder. "Say something!" He tugs at his hair, eyes spiraling like he's about to go insane if the red head doesn't say something soon.

"Did I do something wrong?" Asks Gaara in a calm, yet confused voice.

"Hm?" Intones Shikamaru.

"To Lee." Replies the boy. "Have I done something to hurt him?"

"Who's Lee?" Asks Naruto recovering from his spiral.

"Him." He nods his head in the large-eyed boys direction, but then he blinks as though he's gotten something in his eye. "Wait... I... I don't know."

The two friends exchange worried looks telling each other that their dark clouded friend must still be a little lost after the accident.

"But he signed my cast," Gaara muses to himself. "So I must know him."

"Hmm?" Tapping a finger to his chin, Naruto shakes his head. "No. But I can find out about him for you." He offers already thinking up ways to approach the mystery boy that's got his friend so confused.

So after lunch, Naruto is slipping down the hall, back against the wall, humming that spy theme that he's heard on tv anytime someone slueths around. Wall to wall, he inches his way through the crowd until he's close enough to Lee to tap him on the shoulder. When the taller male stopped at the drinking fountain to take a drink, Naruto crept around hunched over until his eyes rose just above the rim of the silver drinking fountain to get a look at the boy. He smiled faintly at this Lee, taking a good look at his closed eyes and slightly parted mouth. Naruto clutched his heart when the older male opened his eyes catching him in the act.

Springing up to a straight stand, Naruto laughs nervously thinking up a lie. "Eehhh hehehe."

Smiling at the boy, Lee says. "Hello Naruto-kun. Did you want something?" He goes on to ask.

Blinking, Naruto points an accussing finger. "Naruto-kun?" He repeats. "Are you a stalker or something! How do you know my and Gaara's names?"

Now it was his turn to be confused. Pointing a finger at himself, Lee says absently. "Am I a stalk-...?" Waving his hands frantically, he replies. "Not at all! I saw your names on Gaara's cast when he was at the hospital. You drew your face, right?"

Lips turned out in thought, the blond glares. "And just what were you- a stranger," He says pointedly. "doing signing my friends cast? Huh?"

Frowning a bit, Lee says thoughtfully. "I just thought it would be nice; I didn't know it was an exclusive cast. Tell him he can white it out if he wants to. I'm sorry."

Feeling bad for hurting this Lee's feelings, Naruto moves his hands back and forth like he were fanning flames or something. "Calm down buddy! No need for hurt feelings. I was just grilling you cause Gaara wanted to know."

Hopeful, Lee asks. "Really?"

Grinning cheekily, he says. "Yup, and I can put in a few good words for ya. How does, cool, nice, and officient sound?"

"They sound great!" Cheers Lee who after a second re-hears it and says. "Though I don't know what officient means in your terms; I like it!"

"Yeah, I'm a damn nice guy!" He cheers himself for being such a good person.

Both boys strike the same pose with their hands on their hips, heads thrown back as they laugh triumphantly from feeling good.

"But uh," Naruto says, laughter instantly gone. "drop the kun thing or I'll sock you in the mouth, it drives me nuts. Okay?"

"Got it." He replies with a salute and dazzling smile while inside he wished he could break that damned polite habit as he recalled Kiba saying about the same thing when they first met.

Impressed with such a luminous grin Naruto snags the boys wrist. "Right, meet us at the tree out front of the building. The ugly one with couple's love carved into it, you can walk home with us!"

"Walk home with you?" Lee panicked hearing that. To see Gaara again. Be around him, talk to him. Over load. "Wa- wait, Naruto!" He called to the disappearing boy.

Too late. He's been shangheid.

4 4 4 4

For Lee the walk home was completely awkward. He has no clue what to say to Gaara now that the boy is awake. This always happens to him. Mentally, he's geared up for days with conversation but when trying to execute it, it doesn't turn out so good and he can come across as tongue tied or a little nervous. Not very actractive traits. In fact if it weren't the fact that Naruto and the other boy Shikamaru making light conversation about classes, Lee was sure he would have just turned at the first corner he saw to escape the situation.

Gaara's no better off as he steals glances at Lee. What was I thinking? So what if he signed my cast, so what if I can't stop seeing his face? This boy doesn't fit in with any part of my life and somehow, I can't... He shakes his head from that sort of thought. Its crazy to label someone something when you don't even know them. Shikamaru is his friend, Naruto is his friend and Shino, but Lee... Lee is... Who? He wonders quietly, looking over and up at the taller male.

Smiling at the red head, Lee says. "I'm glad that you're doing ok, Gaara." He touches the boys shoulder with ease giving it a light rub.

Gaara shivered. Why does it feel like I've just been electricuted? Is Lee important to me somehow? He muses taking side long glances at the male now.

Lee continues talking. "Hospitals freak me out when they tell me-.."

Cutting in Gaara finishes Lee's sentence. "They tell you you have to stay longer than three days."

Elated, Lee beams. "Yes! You remembered."

"Yes." It was the how that confused Gaara. He's sure he's never met Lee before and yet when looking at him he knows things about him. Personal things that should be kept private and yet Lee acts as though they've been friends for sometime but haven't spoken in a while.

"Hey love-birds!" Calls Naruto from across the street.

Gaara and Lee turn their heads.

"Let us know if its a happy ending. See ya later Gaara, bye Lee!" He waves both hands.

Shikamaru waves to them as well before continuing home with Naruto. Gaara watched after his friends as though they just left him to die in the middle of the jungle.

Turning to Lee he says rather blunt. "Have we met before?"

Blinking, he winks at the boy. "Not formally, but," his cheeks turned kind of pink. "I talked to you at the hopsital when you were in your coma. We shared a room because the hopsital was full. When a room was free you got to stay with me because the doctors said it was nice to have verbal company around."

Thinking this information over, Gaara questions. "What did we talk about?"

"I talked about this and that about myself." He answered.

"Hm. I don't remember being in any coma, just waking up and having my sister tell me I've been asleep for a week and a half." The boy looks blank as he walks on. "But I didn't hear anything in the meantime, that would be impossible."

"Why?"

Gaara shrugs. "A coma is the first stage of death; the system shuts down taking all the senses with it. So it isn't possible for me to have heard you."

"Mm." Thinks Lee. "But you must have, how else would you know about something I've told you."

He's right. I do know things about him. Maybe I wasn't as dead as I thought.

Aside from Lee saying 'there you are' when moving a low branch from Gaara's direct path, there wasn't much conversation between the two beyond that point.

Finger outward, Gaara states. "That's my friend Shino."

Looking up ahead, Lee spots a boy wearing an eigth grade uniform. He knew that blue from anywhere because he got lost in a swarm of them when walking into the wrong section of the building his first week of school. His face looks happy once registering the boy a few feet up ahead of them. "I know him, we have band together." Placing a hand beside his mouth he calls. "Shino!"

And so the three of them walk home together, first to Shino's house because the boy told them that he had to check on his nearly hatched caccoons- they're due today and he didn't want to miss it. The Aburame home is very reserved in the old world look. Shino's house reminded Lee of Neji's house but it was a bit more modern old world rather than- don't touch anything. He especially liked the couches that are set low to the floor and very roomy. The boy's bedroom was a sight to behold with a tank here filled with different types of spiders and a tank there with what looks like beetles, and the curtains have cacoons on them. Good thing bugs don't creep Lee out too much or he'd of jetted the moment he stepped foot in the room. Instead he walked over to the ant farm set beside the Aburame boy's bed.

"I haven't found enough ants to fill it yet." Says Shino absently while pulling crysalis from his curtains and setting them into a tent.

Lee wondered why there were only two inside. Leaving the farm he heads over to the window to help Shino and Gaara with the soon-to-be butterflies. As they work, Lee notices something. He's noticed it for a while but being inside the males home it just seems odd that he would still be wearing them.

"Shino? Can I ask you something?" When the male glances a 'go ahead' Lee continues. "Why do you never take off your sunglasses? I've seen you wearing them around school and in band. Are they prescriptions?"

Gaara looks over at his best friend with a cocked brow, it was as if for the first time he were just noticing the sunglasses his self.

Adjusting them, Shino says in his usual plain tone. "Do you know what its like to feel that something about you doesn't match the rest of you?"

Slightly down from thinking about that, Lee nods.

"For me, its my eyes. So I wear sunglasses until I can accept them." He closes the tent. "I told my teachers that it isn't going to bother anyone if I wear them so they let me."

"I see." Lee didn't know that even attractive people thought they had flaws. It made him further wonder what the males eyes look like having delt with his own share of leers from his own appearance but that's never been the thing that bothered Lee growing up. It was never being able to keep up with the other kids because of his heart condition. Its the thing about himself that he dislikes the most. He loves being active and having to slow down just didn't suit him. It was good to know that he got the opperation even though he was nervous at first, it really was for the best.

Speaking of which, he still needs to take a med for that. Even with a pacemaker he has to take a blood thinner so the thing doesn't have to pump too hard when working. And stupidly he left it at home. "I'm sorry but I have to go. I left something at home that I need to get."

"I'll go with you." Gaara says with more concern in his voice than he'd meant to show. He remembered Lee talking about his condition and how sometimes he feels a little winded and can't quite make long trips without stopping for a while. He didn't want the boy to be alone with that.

"O- okay. Thank you."

The two walk out of the Aburame home after saying good bye to the bug lover. And so they were alone again.


	4. You're in a Coma

KakaIru Ahaha, sure if you wanna dodge blame the easy way, I'll take it. ^_^. I love that 'hug him into tomorrow' I'm gonna use that some day. I based the chapter titles on the last scene, when you put them all together its like a conversation. That's what makes this so different, I went for making Lee real-real like in the mature sense because he's always so sweet. He's got a grounded personality in this because he's gonna be Gaara's 'Rock' ^_^. I put up two! *fist bump*

xXNeverLoveNeverXx Death Note baby, *distant look* it owns me... ahaha. I listen to music but not while I'm working. I usually come up with an idea because I'm making music videos in my head and putting characters to it hahaha. I'm weird, I swear. Rats. I hope I can find those bits and fix them, thanks for pointing it out. But this is my last story, because I'm still thinking about the sequel.

...

Gaara can't sleep. Its been weeks since he's been released from the hospital and he should be well situated and comfortable, especially now that he's back in his own home in his own bedroom and bed. His sleepy eyes stare at the white wall beside his turned head; they're slightly drooped from fatigue but they refuse to close. He's actually really tired but he just can't sleep. He won't sleep.

_I'm sure this will help the recovery of my 'raccoon eyes'._ Thinks the male half-heartedly.

Rings around his eyes is an adjustment he may still have to get used to. No one at school spares him a glance, people in the neighborhood do the typical: look but don't be seen doing it routine. People say the Tsuna's are a good looking family. Temari looking like his mother, Kankurou the spitting image of his father, and he looks like his uncle Sasori. Or at least he used to, now he'll be the family's 'special' child. The one they hide when company comes over, the one that no one wants to speak about very often. But actually, the look didn't bother him. He actually thought it made him stand out a bit more- a lot even. Interesting story to tell whenever someone asks about his missing eyebrows. Besides, looks don't mean that much to him, he's only after one thing. Sighing, Gaara rolls over onto his side so that he's now facing the open room. A bit of moonlight illuminated the well-sized, yet, sparse room.

This is pointless. Getting out of bed, Gaara puts on his blue and white striped robe, that lay at the end of the bed, over his red pajamas then slips out of bed. Walking downstairs without much care for silence- not that he made much noise either way, he passed his sleeping mother in the living room. For a moment he paused, squinting through the darkness to see if her eyes were open or not.

Some nights the woman was actually awake staring, as usual, at nothing but darkness. Gaara wondered sometimes if the woman ever thought of anything, anything at all. Maybe something that would make her laugh out loud accidently. Probably not if she's been like that since he could remember. Passing through the living room he skips through the kitchen; the neon clock on the stove showing 2:58 a.m., then down into the basement where Ouka Kenga is staying. The woman's body lay glowing like a God on a cold metal table bed under a floresent light that hangs above it; the rest of the room is incased by darkness as if the spirits of the dead are gathered around like a dark society giving praise and love to the glowing woman laying there. The red head stepped through the invisible crowd over to the table, his face shown like a blessed one, glowing only while giving his peace.

"Dad hasn't worked on a woman in a long time. I was starting to think women had some kind of secret to life but I guess not." Taking a seat on the stool at the side of the bed, he looked over her body covered by a lovely royal blue church dress. Pearls around her neck. "Why do they dress the dead so nicely when they're just going to burn them at the funeral?" He asks her. "Maybe you don't know. I should ask my uncle tomorrow."

Something squinking off in the corner of the room caught his attention for a second but he soon ignored it and continued speaking to the woman.

"I can't sleep. I haven't slept in almost a month." He confesses. "I think I might have insomnia or something. But, I don't think people with insomnia get tired so maybe I just need a gimmick to sleeping now. I've been in an accident and ended up in a coma for a week and a half." Resting his arms beside the woman's he lays his chin on top of it. His view, once of her full face, now became a shoulder, chin, and peek of her breast. "What do you think about that? I awoke from the dead... I'm a zombie now." Gaara's free hand reaches and takes a hold of the woman's sleeve, the fabric slips and slides between his moving thumb and index finger. "Maybe I'm not a zombie and I'm an angel- I should help somebody with something. What do you think about that?"

The woman said nothing, of course, just lay on the table cold and absent from this world. Again a squinking sounds in the corner but not loud enough to get his attention this time. He heard but he didn't acknowledge it.

"There's a boy at school I can't stop thinking about named Lee. Maybe I came back to help him." He releases her dress. "He says that I know things about him because he spoke to me when I was dead, that I know things about him because he told them to me and I heard it. I think he's crazy, but, I can't explain how I know what I know if that's not the case. Maybe I am an angel that's come back, maybe I'm just watching everyone do things but no one can actually see me." He had to shake his head on that one because Shikamaru and Naruto were talking to him all week, and his family. Sitting up straight looking at the woman's face again he leans in close and whispers in her ear. "If you can hear me, can you tell me something?" He looks at her eyes to see if there's any kind of response. Nothing. "Why are you smiling? Have you found what you've been looking for? Are you happy with the deal?" Standing, he slams his hand down on the table. "Give me a sign!"

Something grabbed his shoulder- no! Something shoved his shoulder pushing him down over Ms. Kenga. Gaara's blood ran cold right before his back hit the hard basement wall. He thought his father or uncle had caught him down there and got upset, but he realized he had backed to the wall himself. But someone did touch him, he was sure of it. Ms. Kenga lay still on the table. The entire room lay still. Was it Kankurou trying to be funny? No, his brother was sawing logs upstairs, that was for sure. Temari then? No she couldn't help but giggle at her brother's sudden jump. So then who?

Not frightened, though, rattled all the same he calls. "Mama? Is that you?" Having never grown up speaking with the woman, Gaara tended to use his young title when speaking to her- the few times he did speak to her. His sister was no longer 'sissy', his brother no longer 'brozer', father no longer 'papa' and his uncle no longer uncle Yashi. But with his mother it will always be 'mama'. "Mama answer me?" The boy gasped sharply as the feeling of being touched came up from his legs all the way to his shoulders and neck. It was almost suffocating how hard the touch was, how much movement it made over his body. It was so strong this sense that even with his back against the wall he could feel the hands groping at him. Breaths hard, he lowers himself to the floor muttering-

"Stop it... stop it!"

And when the hands went away, he hurried upstairs before he was caught in the basement. Exhausted for the night into morning, he fell onto his bed in a tired heap but his eyes refused to sleep. So he lay there until Kankurou came in and tapped him to alert his attention that he should get ready for school. Gaara got up slowly, showered then dressed into his uniform all the while wondering about what happened earlier. Was it a haunting? Nonsense. So then what?

I should try sleeping pills tonight. A week without sleep is getting to me. Heading down to breakfast, mind made up about what happened, he's ready to move on with his day.

...

Gaara's pace is considerably slow as he lags behind his friends, stifling a yawn as he rounds a corner absently. Shikamaru and Naruto continued straight until they noticed that a third set of foot steps wasn't behind them anymore.

Head titled forward to see past Naruto, Shikamaru calls out to his friend. "You know a short-cut we don't?"

Looking over his shoulder, Gaara turns around walking back to the two.

Putting his arm around the tired boy, Naruto used his hand to tilt Gaara's head to his shoulder. "You just rest your little head, I'll lead you to school."

Gaara put his arm around the blond's waist as a thank you.

"Didn't you get any sleep last night?" Asks the Nara boy, looking and sounding a bit like he didn't get sleep either. But then again he always looks like he needs a nap or two.

"No." Replied the red head. "I tried, but nothing worked so I talked to Ms. Ouka." He went on to explain. He wasn't sure if he should tell them about the weird experience he had or not. They might laugh, they might not. They might think he's crazy, but that isn't so far out an option because he thinks he's crazy too. Someone had to be down there with him, they were just playing a really good trick maybe. His freaking out only made it seem as though he were being touched on his back because being pressed to the wall there was no way that were possible.

"Who's Ms. Ouka?" Asks Naruto glancing sideways at the red spikes in his line of vision.

"The woman my Dad is working on."

"Oh." Both boys reply.

They never went into the basement when at the Tsuna home. It was just too freaky. Gaara tried countless times to get them down there but they refuse everytime. Dead bodies just aren't there thing. They'd hang out in the living room if it weren't for Mrs. Tsuna being vacant on the couch everyday. So when at Gaara's the two were isolated to only the kitchen and upstairs. Which was a shame because there is no tv in Gaara's room and sometimes when boredom sets in you wanna have something that will entertain you for free and television is that option. Since they are deprived that, the boys had taken to going to a hill just a ways from the neighborhood to lay out and stare at the clouds. The Nara's don't believe in television at their home- which is why Naruto believes Shikamaru is so smart, and Naruto's Dad is kind of... intrussive. He likes to sit with them and watch and laugh. He's a lot of fun, sure, but sometimes when you just wanna be with your friends its tough to talk about certain things with the heavy in the room. No matter how young at heart they are.

A car horn honked at their left, a green sleeve covered arm stuck out and waved.

"Hey Sasuke!" Shouts Naruto waving frantically with his free hand. When the car was out of sight, the blond sighed. "You think just once his brother would offer us a ride."

The other two boys nod.

At the Maitou home. Lee is just finishing breakfast due to a long phone conversation with his parents, both of them on seperate phones speaking to him three way. He had to talk between bites sometimes so eating his steadily uncooking itself breakfast took a while. Placing the phone back into his backpack, he zips it up then carries the bookbag into the living room leaving it on the floor beside the door. Dashing upstairs, he goes into the bathroom to brush his teeth. Toothbrush loaded with the white paste he shoves it into his mouth scrubbing as hard as he can but properly so not to cause damage. The Rock's and Maitou's take pride in their smiles and hale way of living. None of them drink, not casually anyway New Years Eve is the exception, they don't do drugs of any kind, Lee's medication on the 'not counted' list and they don't make it a habit of going more than a day without a bath. It seems like work but when you've been doing it your entire life its nothing more than routine.

Mouth foamed enough to drown him if he tried for a swallow- not that he would, Lee leans over the sink and spits into the drain. Turning the water on to rinse it down, he then washes his mouth out with a mouth full of Scope swishing left, right, left again, right again then he tilts his head back and gargles for 30 seconds before spitting the minty liquid into the drain. Hearing the door bell downstairs; Lee travels out of the bathroom and to the door before Gai can get up from his work out in the den.

"I've got it!" He called to his uncle. Pulling the door open, he snags his bookbag then walks out after his heel turned friend Kiba.

"Did you bring any change? I thought we could take the bus today."

"Yeah, do you need a spot?" Asks Lee while digging through the pocket of his uniform to see if he had enough change for two people.

"Naah, I've got some." Arms up behind his head he purposefully stomps on a flower growing from the sidewalk. They walk silently for a while, but Kiba's rising cheeks gave away that he was dying to know what happened the other day with that kid Lee likes. How to ask though without sounding like he's prying for teasing reasons? "Sssooooo, Lee," He was never one for tact. "how did it go with you and that freaky looking kid. You gonna date him now? I didn't know you liked the younger set." He added remembering the boy was wearing the dark green uniform.

"It's not like that! And Sasuke is a year under us too remember?"

"But you're not dating Sasuke." Replies the brunet smugly. "You're just friends."

"And I'm not dating Gaara, we're just friends."

Kiba shrugs. "You sure were interested in him though."

"I was concerned about him after the accident, that's all. If we make friends that's great but if we don't that's fine too."

Kiba cocked an uncertain brow to that statement, but grinned a fang toothed smile his friends way. "Uh-huh. What did you guys talk about? You did walk home with him, right?"

"Right."

"Right, right" he teased. "So how 'bout what's left."

Lee snickered at that one, he would have to use it sometime. "There's nothing to tell, we walked home together with his friends um... Naruto and Shikamaru, when they left we ran into your boyfriend Shino."

Suddenly embarrassed, though he kept it low profile, Kiba cleared his throat. "Oh yeah, then what?"

"Hmm. We went to Shino's to help him cage butterflies then I had to go home and Gaara walked me."

Nudging the darker haired male on the elbow with his elbow he says. "Alone at last, huh?"

Giving in to what the male wanted to hear, Lee says in a blush. "Alright, so he's cute. I think he might be 13 what's one year-.." Hearing what he just said he added. "If I were interested." Closing his wide-set eyes, he turned his head up in superiority.

Nodding firmly Kiba smiles with mischief. "Mmhmm. You're interested alright. All the signs are there. The higher voice, the avoided gaze, you stepped in dog shit."

Eyes open, he lifts each foot hopping on the other while checking. "I did?"

Laughing Kiba says. "Nope. Complete lack of focus, sign number 3. Next thing you know you'll be tripping into things."

The two stop at the bench just as the bus rolls up to a stop. Dropping their change into the box they then walk to the front of the bus and sit down ready to give their legs a break. Leaning over, Kiba presses his ear to Lee's chest. The Rock child froze up in horror; a blush creeping up on his face.

Looking around to make sure no one else was watching them, Lee taps the Inuzuka boy on the shoulder. "W- what are you doing?"

"Ssshhh, I just wanted to listen to your pacemaker." He sits up straight. "It doesn't sound like you've got a clock in there." He crosses his arms looking out the window.

"Its not like a clock," Informs Lee ready to say more until his attention is taken to the back of the bus where Gaara and his friends are just getting on.

Wondering what happened to the rest of the information, Kiba glances at Lee before turning his gaze to where the boys attention is focused. A grin breaks out on his face seeing the boys special friend and his buddies.

"Lee look who it is," says Kiba like the Rock child didn't know. He was already trying to hide himself in one of his school books. "We should get him to sit with us. Hey Gaa-..!"

Lee covered the brunet's mouth quickly to silence him. Glancing to the back of the bus, his eyes lock with Gaara's briefly as the red head nods a 'hello' to him before sitting down in the middle row next to Shikamaru. Naruto clunked his way to the front of the bus dropping the money into the tray before scurrying back to his friends and dropping down beside Gaara to sandwich them on the seat. With peeks at the boy here and there the rest of the bus trip for Gaara and Lee was very uncomfortable.

4 4 4 4

"Maaan, it feels like I visited a past life in there." Naruto waves his hand behind his path as he walks into the classroom. "Last time I try vegetables in the cafeteria."

"Naruto!" Barks his math teacher upon seeing the boy.

Arms stretched up over his head as he yawns the blond sighs out a "What?" while dropping his arms and returning to his seat.

"If you're planning bathroom trips that stretch through the duration of class time, please learn to get it all out before you come to school. Like the night before." Adjusting her glasses, she gives the boy a stern glare to show she meant business.

"Its not my fault the cafeteria food doesn't agree with me," Defends Naruto. "or that your class happens to be right after it." Turning to Chouji he lays out a hand wagging it up and down as he speaks as if trying to get the boy to understand his plite and agree with him. "It gave me so much to do in there- so much!" He moans out helplessly.

Chouji scrunched his nose as though he could smell just 'how much' the boy spoke of and it was just tart. He was starting to feel a little sick himself. Why did the rest of the alphabet have to lag enough to make Naruto with a U have to sit next to him with an A? Life can be so unfair. But at least the guy is good company and it could be worse he could be seated next to Gaara with a T. Looking over his shoulder at the red head sitting behind Naruto, Chouji shudders. To him Gaara always seemed to be doing something weird and today was no different.

Look at him, sitting there, head cocked like he's listening to something. Thinks the chubby boy. Why can't the guy be home schooled? He caught his breath as Gaara looked up, right at him, glaring when he sees that he's being watched. "Ahahaha." He laughs nervously waving a hand to the boy.

Flipping him off, Gaara stands taking his notebook from his desk. The bell sounds for them to leave the room. Chouji's seat scrapes the floor as his left leg shoves the desk with himself side ways to avoid being touched by the red head. Gaara paid him no attention, but Naruto slapped the boy on the back of the head right before following his friend into the hall.

Calling over his shoulder he says. "See ya later, Chouji."

"Bye Naruto." He gets up from his seat, books and bag gathered once he's up. "Hey!" He calls the blond back.

Jogging in place to listen but he keeps a glanced eye on the red head. "What?"

"Can you come over later?"

"I can't. Kankuro is going out for seafood and I asked to go with him and Gaara." Waving a hand, he says after the fact. "But Shikamaru might be free." That said, he took off down the crowded hall.

Gaara's raccoon masked eyes glance at his friends arrival beside him. Shaking his head he says. "I'll give you the notes when we get to my house. You're gonna fail if you keep missing work like that."

"I know, I know." He waves his hands to clear the thick air circulating around him. "But this time I really did have to go to the bathroom. You can go smell it if you want to."

Gaara shakes his head. "Naruto?"

"Hmm?"

He couldn't believe he was going to ask the question, but it was gonna bother him forever if he didn't. He's thought of every possible solution but none of it could explain away what happened last night. So he figured it was time to seek outside help. "Do you believe in ghost?"

Naruto froze dead in his tracks, absolute dread washed over his face as his shoulders scrunched up to his ears due to shivers running up his spine, bouncing off the ends of his spine just to go back the other direction. Gaara cocked his head watching the blond wondering what was wrong with him, a brief glimpse of what he must have looked like down in the basement, back against the wall and shivering.

"What are you doing?" He asks.

Voice quivered, Naruto replies. "Gh- ghost freak me out. Just the thought of 'em." He jumps a mile then yelps before realizing what happened. "Don't just touch a guy like that! You freaked me out!"

"Sorry. But you didn't answer my question and you were freaking out." Letting go of the other boy's shoulder, he starts back down the hall.

"Hmm." Shaking his paralyzation off he falls into step with the boy. "I kinda do but... truthfully I've never seen one enough to fully go along with it."

Cocking a hairless brow, Gaara inquires. "Than why were you so scared just now?"

"Its only because just the thought is too much." Mouth trembling, he grabs a hold of the boys shoulders looking about, as if he can see one right now. "Something touching you and you can't get it off. Its like walking into a spiders web. You look like a fool swatting at nothing but you don't stop because you're freaked out about something unseen touching you."

"Are you having that ghost talk again?" Asks Shikamaru joining their lead to reading class. He just came back from advanced History and, as usual, located his friends heading for the second to last class of the day.

"Only because He brought it up." Defends the shaken up blond.

"Naruto, ghost aren't real. Not even close to real." Explains Shikamaru for what must be the ninth time in his life. Naruto was six the first time he'd seen a horror movie and the boy's been freaked out ever since at just the mention of the G word. Actually it was A Christmas Carol but the sight of 3 spirits visiting someone in the night and taking their soul around just freaked the boy clean out of his mind. He never did see the end or middle of it once the first ghost had done his thing. He was over it and ended up passing out asleep under the covers in which he hid. "The only thing that makes them real is people wanting to believe in rebirth."

Gaara kept a sharp ear to the conversation taking in any information that he could get to explain his night away. What Shikamaru said made some sense. He does in a way believe in rebirth because he always tells the spirits at the funeral basically 'once you're gone stay that way' so its only natural to assume that what touched him last night was a spirit just hanging out in the room maybe hoping to take Ms. Ouka for a ride or maybe take him for a ride. Is possesion real?

"You're thinking awfully hard, Gaara." Says Shikamaru using the males name to call his absent attention. "Don't tell me you believe in ghost too?"

"No. But I had an experience last night." He says casually.

Both boys look suprised by this and continue staring at the boy for more information, but Gaara turned in to the classroom and took his seat. Going in as well they take their seats at either side of him.

Pressing for more, the skinny genius asks. "What do you mean 'had an experience'? Are you saying your house might be haunted or you were seeing things?"

"I don't know what it was. One minute I was talking to the dead woman, then something touched me- no..." He tries recalling more of the night. "I heard a squinking sound then something touched me. It touched me a lot, all over. It felt like groping or rubbing."

At first Naruto was freaking out by what his friend was saying but then his shivers disappeared into a grin spread out across his face. Shikamaru's too then both boys snicker down at their laps.

Green eyes flicking back and forth between them, Gaara asks. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Shikamaru waves it off. "What time was it when you went downstairs?"

Shrugging, he replies. "I don't know, midnight... maybe two o'clock."

Naruto seemed to laugh a little more hearing that.

"Are you sure you didn't fall asleep, unknowingly, and had a..." he clears his throat and tries not to sound derisive. "Wet dream."

The red head looked at the Nara child like he had to be kidding. "I think I'd know if I fell asleep. I was wide awake when it happened. I've been awake for days," He mutters the last part. "I think I might have a problem getting to sleep now."

Not hearing the last piece, Shikamaru nods in understanding. "That's another thing, if you've been missing sleep of course you're gonna have set backs. Its natural to go a little out of your mind when you're sleep deprived."

Poking his chest with his thumb, Naruto cheers himself. "I yawn a lot when I can't get to sleep. All that eye scrunching and the deep breaths puts me right down, especially when looking in a mirror."

Both boys can only blink in wonder of what the blond was doing with a mirror in his bed but they let it lie.

"I stare at a spot or something on the wall or ceiling, eventually I'm focused so hard on it I don't even realize I drifted off until I wake up."

Honestly, they both sounded pretty weak to Gaara. It made him wonder if either boy has even missed even a wink of sleep in their entire lives if they can be put down that easily. When he was a boy his mother would hold him, rubbing his arm, her chin atop his head and she would hum this oddly haunting tune. Unknowingly Gaara begins to hum the tune, closing his eyes.

Naruto smirked thinking that the boy looked like a noseless, red haired skeleton with his eyes closed and those big black rings nothing more than a hole in his pale face. Reaching over he shook the boy. "Don't go to sleep during class. You're not Shikamaru, you can't get away with that."

"Do you think it would matter though?" Quips the brunet. "Kakashi-sensei hasn't been on time to class since school started. I'm sure today is no different."

The three boys jump out of their skin when a semi-thick erotica book is tapped loudly upon the Nara boy's desk as said teacher went idly by.

"I think he might have managed to show up on time today." Says Kakashi, the reading teacher, on his way to his desk.

The gray haired man has actually been in the back of the room standing in the corner reading a naughty book while classes changed. He could usually get in a good chapter or two before the kids noticed that he hasn't started class. If they weren't so engulfed in their own conversations they would notice that he's never actually not been in class, he just doesn't say anything because he's wrapped up in his reading. Is it his fault no one can point him out and get his attention? He thinks not. Only reason he's starting class on time today is because he's read the book he has with him already. He grabbed the wrong one before heading to school this morning. Last time he does late night reading.

"Alright everyone, settle down." He sits, sliding his chair forward once down in it. "We're gonna go over yesterdays homework before we do the work sheets today. I wanna make sure you understood what we've been going over since there's a test Friday." Kakashi wasn't suprised to hear the whining go up around the room. This was the class that always gave him trouble. Minus a selected few. And one of them, the Nara boy, tended to sleep during his class and yet his grades were astounding he didn't dare mess up a good thing going. Though Shikamaru, the sleeping genius, could at least pay attention some of the time when questions are asked so that he isn't taking a lot of stupid answers from the other kids. He knows school is for learning but sometimes he wants a nice fluent class without a lot of 'um, um... shoot let me think...' going around.

Hand raised Naruto asks. "Can we erase our answers if they're wrong so we can study from our homework sheet?"

With his hand he shrugs. "If it helps."

Satisfied with that Naruto begins erasing the answers from his reading homework until he realized he'd done it in pen. Blushing he pulls out a red ink pen to just write over his old answers.

Rolling his eyes the teacher says in a patient and somewhat bored tone. "Naruto, this is reading class, not language. Any answer on the test will be from the book we've been reading. I'm not gonna repeat questions."

"Then what did you let me do it for?" He mutters while returning his pen to his backpack.

"Alright, let's go over the sheets."

Class was long and drawn out but the last one went quickly, thank God. The kids couldn't wait to scramble from the building, little ants loading onto large yellow buses while others unhooked bikes, kids that brought skates with them slipped out of their school shoes and into them to speed home. Gaara, Naruto, and Shikamaru walk the distance conversating about nothing as they went.

Reaching up to scratch his nose, his cast caught his eye. Next time I'll protect you. Lee. Frowning, he wonders what the older boy had meant. Protect him from what? They don't even know each other. But something about him made Gaara feel like the room was spinning. When he talks his voice fills him with a strange comfort. "I wanna talk to him again." Gaara says out loud.

"Who?" Shikamaru crosses the street.

"Rock Lee."

"That weird guy? Why do you wanna do that?" Asks Naruto.

"Because I wanna ask him something."

"What?" Presses the blond.

"I want to ask him something, you can't help."

Taken aback, Naruto rolls his eyes. "Fine, you don't have to get snip- shit! Its Wednesday isn't it?!"

"You know it is." Replies Shikamaru.

"I forgot about track." Turning around, though he's nearly home, Naruto says a quick good bye before bolting back towards the school.

Smiling at the departing boy, Shikamaru then turns his attention to Gaara tapping him on the arm. "If you like Lee you should go for it. You've never had a boyfriend before, it'd be good for you."

"I don't need a boyfriend and I don't like Lee. I'm just curious about him."

Slapping a hand to his head at the headache brewing from talking with the sexually stunted male. He wouldn't know a come on if it came up and introduced itself and if he did have a wet dream it was no wonder he thought that it was ghostly encounters rather than mental excitement messing with his growing body. Shikamaru can still remember his first wet dream. Suprisingly it was with Gaara's sister Temari. She'd leaned over the table one day when they were all having a homework gathering and he got some peek down her shirt. But since attending a college class he's set his sights on an older boy. Pale complexion, long black hair, and the most exotic eyes he's ever seen. But a guy like that would never notice him.

"If you say so, but if you get a funny feeling in your pants just go with it. Okay?"

"I'll remember that."

Patting him on the shoulder good naturedly, he crosses the street. "See you tomorrow."

"Yeah."

Continuing home alone, Gaara slows down when he spots the very male he wanted to talk to standing in the middle of the sidewalk. Lee smiles and waves when seeing him.


	5. Do You Know Anyone?

KakaIru Chemistry, oh I just love me some science. I hear ya honey, it takes forever to find good Gaara/Lee I can send some to you. They're the BEST. I wanna write something awesome, just like she has. Something that isn't AU but thinking up missions is tough. Once I get a mission it'll be perfect. But I warn you, she's so good, I may lose you *frown* ahaha. Its a good thing though. Wish she'd write more. I'll send the link to you. I will never stop writing them, even when the Naruto story is mainly about someone else, they'll always be my couple in it. I just mean that I haven't done a lot of ninja stories and once this is done I have to plan out the sequel to it. I've got the idea I just need the rest to follow through, plus time to do it. Thank you for the review.

Thank you all for reading. It means a lot!

...

May 15th 2004.

Sasuke ran a comb through his hair one last time before leaving the hall mirror to grab his backpack from the living room couch and heading out to the car. Walking around to the passangers side, he peeks into the window spotting his brothers accordian briefcase and school papers on the seat. Frowning a bit, he opens the back door slipping into the seat. Pulling the seatbelt over he stares at the door waiting for his older brother to finish up inside and take him to school. After three minutes he sighs in frustration slumping down in the seat a little. He loves riding to school with his brother, he does but sometimes he wonders why the older boy bothers. At first he thought he was messing with him, offering a ride to him- who was Itachi kidding. He spared him no expense picking on him when his friends came over, and to Sasuke if he couldn't keep up the good brother act around his friends why bother at all. But his brother was sincere in his asking at which point Sasuke chalked it up to the college being just down the street past his school anyway so why not.

Oh sure, he should have more faith in his brother but if Itachi really meant to have this brotherly bond why does he always put his books in the front seat making him sit in the back? Its been going on like this since the male became an instructor for psychology. But Sasuke can't be completely mad when they have really nice talks during the fifteen minute drive to school each morning. The closing car door caught the 14 year olds attention and he looked to the front seat that his brother had slid into a moment ago.

Looking over the books in the passengers seat, then back at his brother Itachi says while starting the car. "You could have moved them to the back seat."

"Its fine." Replies Sasuke. Sasuke noticed his brothers lips tighten for a second; did he want a 'thank you' or something. He would have moved the books if he didn't think that the older boy would give him a look of disapproval for doing something without asking. He's been sitting in the back since starting this year he didn't see why it would matter all of a sudden whether he wanted to or not. He's not being rude about the offer its just that Sasuke prefers to be compatably comfortable with everything he does. If he's in back then he's comfortable and so is his brother since he wouldn't mind it if he sat in the front. Since they both know this, why make things suddenly uncomfortable by switching the routine. It sounds weird but if you think about it everyone does it at some point in time or another. Like with conversations, you wouldn't bring someone new into your circle of friends and just assume they know what you're talking about, you find a common meeting until you're all on the same page.

Narrowing his dark eyes the older male grabs his things putting them in the back seat unceramoniously then looking at his little brother he says. "Sit in the front seat."

Sasuke started to say 'Make me' but he chose instead to just listen and moved to the front seat, but made sure to close the back door rather forcefully. Which didn't bother Itachi in the least.

The car moves down the drive way of the Uchiha home slowly before going down the street at a well enough pace.

The next day.

Hyuuga Neji is not one for being late to anything. Its just not in him. But for some reason he can never seem to be on time to get a ride to school with Sasuke. It could be because since he lives farther from the school and the bus stop is a lot closer than walking to a friends house just to ride the rest of the way is a waste of time, or it could be for the fact that Neji can't trust his self in the backseat of the car since he has a crush on the driver. To be behind Itachi getting a view of his captivating eyes in the rearview mirror while the male is wearing his reading glasses would be too much. Itachi wears them during classes and to drive but never casually and Neji was sure that the older Uchiha was trying to kill him with the way he looked in them. The thin gold frame highlighting the dark color of his eyes making them look as if they're glowing with fire behind the gaze. Its really indescribable. And so a glimpse from a well enough distance is about all he could stand of that. He just thanked the Heavens that he never was called to the front for anything.

Uchiha Itachi went from a high school student who should have been in middle school to a young Junior into college classes who only attended for a year before he wound up teaching in psychology. At the highschool Neji is doing pretty damned good in that class, so much so that his sensei, Yuuhi Kurenai, adviced he try out for a college class since there was nothing more she could teach him and he accepted not knowing what he was getting into. Now everyday at 11:03 to 11:33 was his personal torture as he listened to everyone word the grade skipping genius said. Neji's grades are nothing short of remarkable as well, being a prodigy as well when it came to school work and such but he'd rather take normal classes like the other students for now and excel when the time comes. Plus Sasuke goes to the same school and you've gotta stick with your friends.

Mind clear now, he wonders briefly how Lee is doing. The boy called last night saying he'd be missing school and asked Neji if he could pick up any work he might miss. He agreed to. It was weird having peace and quiet for this long. By now the rowdy boy would have caught up to him and talked his ear off. It must suck to be so energetic and have a condition that demands you relax for hours on end. Even with his defribrulater he seems to have to control how much he pushes himself and Lee is stubborn, he thinks he's undercover healthy and his body just needs a wake up call to the fact that he's fine. Poor boy someone needs to clue him in to the fact that just because you think it doesn't make it true.

Neji waves his hand when he gets up to a second year student. "Don't worry, I got it for you." He says to the confused male.

"Hm?" Asks Shino.

"There was a bee by your shoulder." Explains Neji.

With a hidden smile, the Aburame boy says. "What makes you think I was bothered by it?"

Now Neji was confused. "You think your clothes would protect you from a sting?"

"No. I'm just certain I would not have been stung," Pointedly he says. "its only when it feels threatened that a bee will move in for a sting." Snatching out a hand behind Neji; the Hyuuga turned quickly around with a gasp.

Seeing that Shino has the bug by its wings, he sighs in relief. "Thank you...?"

"Aburame Shino." He adjusts his sunglasses.

"Shino." With a curt bow he introduces himself. "Hyuuga Neji."

"Nice to meet you."

"Like wise."

The two climb on the bus, Shino lets the bee free out the window when taking a seat. The bee couldn't keep up if it wanted to as the bus sped off down the street.

...

A basketball dribbles down the court of the gym room before a set of hands clasps onto it bringing it into the air with himself. Slamming the ball into the hoop, Kiba hangs onto the red metal ring doing pull ups with one hand and pumping his fist into the air with the other.

"Whooo! Fuck yeah! Love me!" The boy then let out a howl.

Shaking his head with disapproval Sasuke mumbles. "Why does Kiba always go overboard?" He turns his head when the low sound of crunching fills his ears.

Beside him Chouji is sneaking potato chips from a sandwich bag in his pocket. "Can you blame him when his biggest competition is out today." He says referring to the absent Lee. He's only just been hanging out with this little rat pack recently since he can't hang out with Shikamaru or Naruto since Lord Gaara doesn't like him. But its not so bad plus none of them but Kiba make fun of his weight and if they do, unlike Kiba and Naruto, its never to his face. So he gets along just fine with the group.

Coach Baki watched the Inuzuka boy with a roll in his gaze. "Alright Kiba, rope it in. Sasuke!" He called out.

Sasuke barely had time to react when the ball came flying at him from Kiba's purposefully hurtled toss. Glaring at the male who only plopped down beside him on the bench, Sasuke stands giving the ball a couple dribbles from where he's standing as he mentally measures the distance from the bench to the hoop. Grabbing the ball into his hands he then tosses it with ease.

All heads following the orange orbs destination toward the hoop. It looked as though it were going to fall short of its goal but with a few bounces on the rim the ball rolled around for show before slipping past the hoop and through the net.

Seeing the slacked jaw on the dog faced brunet Sasuke took a seat on the bench smug grin on his face. He didn't hang out at the Maitou's place for nothing. Gai even joined he and Lee for basket ball games no matter that their were no teams, three guys trying to reach ten in the flashiest ways they can think of can really put skill under your belt. And shut up one over confident Kiba. But honestly, Sasuke hates sports he just finds them to be a waste of time- though he would never miss one of Naruto's track meets. He sometimes wondered if the boy only joined because his father is the track coach and maybe Minato forced his son into it. But Naruto seems to love running, not to mention all the practice he has from pissing people off and having to flee the scene when they give chase.

Baki retrieved the ball holding it under his arm. "Good job Sasuke, Chouji, you're up!" He tosses the ball to the chubby boy who just turned his head to hide his cheek as he finished off a finger full of well-sized crumbs.

"Right coach." He says around the mouthful. Smiling innocently when coach Baki glared at him for eating in his class- yet again. The flying ball hit Chouji's palms but the boy forget to keep a hold of it and the ball rolled along the floor while Chouji paced after it.

Kiba didn't hide his laughter as the boy gave them a red full moon of his gym pants.

"Shut the hell up Kiba!" Says Chouji, straightening up once he has a hold of the ball. He hates gym class and why do they have to be mixed with the guys a year over them anyway. He wouldn't have to see the stupid boys face if it were just his year taking gym, but with as big as the school is they have to combine two classes its the same with lunch which is why Lee and Kiba and sometimes Neji sit with Sasuke and himself.

Blowing his whistle to get the boys attention, Baki snarls. "We're not on your time Akimichi, toss the ball."

"I'll toss it out that window," mutters the boy before taking aim for the hoop. "Just make it." He coaches the ball. Tossing it, eyes closed he opens them when he hears it make contact with the hoop only to see the medium orb come flying his way with only seconds to move the boy didn't make it and was popped in the ear by the ball. He grunted before placing his hand up to his pained ear.

Laughing, Kiba asks sincerely. "You alright, Chouji?"

"I'm fine." Replies the boy, going for the ball.

Baki shoves it into his chubby arms. "Watch what you're doing next time. If you'd stop closing your eyes you wouldn't keep having this problem."

"Right coach." Chouji clutches the ball then turns towards the hoop.

"Dunk it Chouj!" Calls Kiba. "You don't have to throw it."

Snickering the boy says. "Oh right, I forgot about that." Bouncing the ball up and down towards the hoops, like a granny Chouji hurtles the ball when he's close enough to the hoop right into the air. But like before the ball only bounced from a part of the hoop smacking the boy right in the head again this time on his mouth. Head tilted back, though, he didn't fall Chouji looks around for the ball. "One more time coach."

"No, just sit down! Your chances are over." He picks up the ball. "Try to form a basket ball team and this is what they give you." He poised his back hand to slap the chubby boy across the face when he stalked past muttering something about joining the girls gym. Blowing his whistle, he walks over to a wrack of balls pulling it with him to a place by the hoop. "Come on, let's practice our free throws. Sasuke you're up."

"Hey Uchiha," Says Kiba as they line up in front of the hoop. "you know what happened to Lee?"

"Check up, Neji called me."

"So he's not hurt?"

Sasuke grabs a ball while shaking his head. Tossing it at the hoop it goes in easily. He does about four before the ball misses but only because it rolled to the left rather than the right and he switched places with Kiba moving to the back of the line. Chouji watched desperately as the girls did step excersizes like they were watching a fitness video or something. Tough work, but at least its not sports. He smiles seeing a blonde ponytail swinging back and forth on a girl in the third row of excersize steppers. Sasuke followed the brunet's gaze then cocked his head. Chouji was dreaming if he thought he could get a date with anyone in Sasuke's opinion.

"Ino," Says Chouji pointing. "We've been seeing each other off and on."

That shocked Sasuke. This girl must have a so-so personality then, it wasn't so much that Sasuke didn't think Chouji couldn't have a girlfriend but society. Its practically a rule that unattractive people saw no one but unattractive people. He's not saying that this Ino is pretty- far from it, he's just saying that fat is under ugly so Chouji's chances of having anyone until he's out of school are very slim.

"Don't look so surprised." Says the Akimichi child with a rather smug look about him. "I am somewhat of a good conversator and women love funny. So no matter what the rules say a chubby can have a girl."

Sasuke only blinked at that. He didn't care anymore. The line moved up when, after 16 baskets, Kiba travelled down the line to the back.

"16, come on Sasuke give me some competition, you're not even trying."

"I just don't feel like participating much today."

"You're no fun."

"I'm plenty of fun.." Argues Sasuke being cut off by a distinct crunching sound.

Both boys look disgustedly at the boy who only shrugged while whiping crumbs onto his gym pants.

2 2 2 2

After school. Naruto and Shikamaru stop by a shop for a snack, well, Naruto was going to eat. Shikamaru planned on getting a fruit juice and nothing more. The bell over the door rang announcing the entrance of a customer. The elderly woman behind the counter smiled at the two boys, walking to the end of the counter where they've taken a seat.

"What can I get you?" She asks in a voice thicker than the two would have pinned on her.

Wide grin Naruto slams some cash on the counter top. "Grandma, give me two burgers with everything and two milkshakes. One chocolate and one vanilla."

"I'll have a fruit juice, I don't care what flavor."

The woman gave the brunet a lingered look of curiosity. She's never seen someone unenthusiastic about picking a flavored drink. Most people that come in here either order more than one drink, or take a while choosing what they'd like but this weird kid doesn't give a care. How strange.

While the old woman filled their orders, Naruto pulled out his math homework. "Hey, what's number tens answer?" A pen poised to fill in the blank, he awaits the answer his friend had.

Blinking, Shikamaru looks over the paper. Naruto answered all the questions correctly and pinching a corner of the stapled papers he sees that the back and second sheet are filled out as well. Letting the paper fall back together he asks in a bland voice. "Did Gaara give you the answers."

"No. I did them by myself." Brags the blond. "Not bad for a guy like me, huh? I even liked some of the questions."

Snickering, Shikamaru corrects. "In math they're problems, Naruto."

Naruto shrugged. "I don't care. Hey! Where is Gaara any way?" He asks as if he just noticed the male wasn't with them.

"With that Lee guy." He nods a thank you to the old woman.

"Thank you." Naruto says in english. He loved flashing around the bits of the language that he knows. It could come in handy some day! A guy like him was made to travel and verbally he should be global with knowledge. "Again!" He says to Shikamaru after shoving the burger in his mouth. Around the mouthful he continues speaking. "What is fuzzy brows his new best friend? Is he in love with the guy?"

"I don't know."

Taking a long drink to free his mouth from any left over food, he says. "Why don't you ask him?"

"Naruto-..."

Waving a hand to silence the male he says. "Right, right 'too troublesome', but damn it'd be nice to see our friend again! After that coma he's been acting weird."

"I know."

"Asking about... ghost" The word whispered from his mouth like a spook would hear him and show itself right then. "and hanging with new crowds- what are we nato?"

Shikamaru wondered why he would use that disgusting bean but thinking about it it made sense. Who'd want something like that around? "You know how Gaara is, when something interest him he wants to know why to the very last drop of life in it, or ink on it, or whatever. If we give him time he'll come back."

"He'd better," Pounding his fist into his palm he squeezes it tightly saying. "because if not, forcing him back is gonna be a bitch. I play rough."

"I know." Taking a sip of his drink, he looks out the large windows at the passing people. "I'll stop by his house tonight and ask."

"Atta boy!" He pats the Nara child on the back. "You get our friend back."

"Aha... yeah." He scratches his cheek lightly with his index. "I kinda was going over there anyway to ask Temari out."

Sighing, Naruto says with dryness. "And you wonder why he thinks we don't like him. Because of reasons like that."

Picking the spit out food from his lap, Shikamaru finishes his drink then heads for the exit. "I'll call you when I hear from him."

Naruto waves a hand after the boy. "Yo granny! How's about some fried rice balls?"

Shikamaru smiled to himself knowing the boy wouldn't get home until dinner probably, at which point he'll eat more. Where does he store it all? Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Shikamaru tilts his head back looking up at the sky; a nice cloudy May looks down on him. Dropping his head back down as he gets to a cross in the street he waits with the other walkers to cross.

Spotting the brunet through the crowd a blond girl sneaks up behind him poking him in the sides when she's right up to his back. "Shikamaruuuuu!" She greets him.

"Hey Ino."

"Have you seen the new car my Dad got? Its brand new to the lot, blue, and very pricey."

Shikamaru shrugged. "Can he even afford it?"

Shoulders drooped, she sighs. "No longer than a year or so, but man its gonna be sweet riding around in that!" Her spirits raise again. Shifting her eyes in the boys direction, she crosses her arms then says. "Wanna go to the movies, my Dad'll drive us?"

"No, but I'll meet you there, maybe, I'm going with someone else."

"That girl from that freaky undertaker family?"

"That's the one." He says. Crossing the street with the crowd he can still feel Ino's presence behind him.

"With the freakier brother that looks like a raccoon now?"

"Sure is." He wondered when she would stop. Will Kankurou be insulted next or did she even know about him?

"How is the old crank anyway? Chouji told me about what happened, even for him that's kind of sad." She seemed sincere about that regardless how rude it had come off sounding.

"And I'm sure he'd appreciate the sentiment, I have to go. Say hi to Chouji for me if I don't make it."

"Alright." Ino stops following him, but cups a hand beside her mouth and shouts after him. "You can take a ride with us some other time, right? Bye Shikamaru!"

Sighing the Nara boy returns his gaze to the sky. Peace and quiet. A block more of walking and he's at the door of the Tsuna family. He can smell something cooking and wondered for a moment if it were skin being cleaned he smelled that once before and it made him sick thinking about it. But this smelled more like a roast than cleaning solution. Knocking on the door of the disfunctional family, he waited for someone to answer, gaze wandering all over the place.

The door opened 30 seconds later revealing Gaara's uncle Yashamaru. He looked confused for a moment, then smiled seeing the Nara boy. "Hello Shikamaru, Gaara's upstairs doing his homework."

"Thanks, but I came for Temari, is she home?"

Jutting a thumb over his shoulder, he replies. "Fixing dinner, but I can finish up. I'll tell her you're here. Come in."

"Thanks." Walking inside he takes a seat on the arm chair beside Gaara's zombie of a mother. Her clothes have been changed from Spring to Summer, the powder yellow dress really highlighted her hair. But he didn't pay her anymore mind than that. She freaked him out most of all, even though he's known Gaara for a long time he's still not quite used to his out of commision mother just sitting there like she does.

"Who wants me?"

He smiles at the hard toned girls usual low voiced bitter brashness. Standing when she comes from the kitchen, apron on, he says. "Hey Temari, wanna see a movie?" He just came out with it.

Stalling her answer, she perches crossed legs on the arm of the chair next to her mother to say. "Well if it isn't my favorite walking stick come to pay me a visit- and take me to a movie! I'm flattered, but I can't go." Her attention wanders into her mothers short blonde hair, fingers putting a hunk behind her ear.

"Why not?"

"I don't feel like it." She said very flat out. "But if you still want my company you're welcomed to stay for dinner."

"Okay."

"Good. It'll be done at four." Getting up she says something to her mother that Shikamaru can't hear before walking back into the kitchen.

Shikamaru followed her with his eyes a moment.

"I thought I heard you." Says Gaara causing the Nara boy to jump from start.

Letting out a sigh to calm himself, he says. "Gaara, don't sneak around like that."

"Its my house and I wasn't sneaking." He followed the boys gaze from before spotting his sister wander past the kitchen entrance. "Do you wanna come upstairs."

"You make it sound so inviting." He follows the red head.


	6. We Make a Promise

xXNeverLoveNeverXx squirrel friend you craze! I'm not quitting, my that would be weird. I'm simply in the process of still thinking of a sequel for Voices that's all. If I quit writing I promise you... the news would be filled with something just short of 'scary shit' because making stories staves off the lunatic in me. So, its all good. Once I get in my new house, I should have a chapter one to three already to be written out. I bored think during long road trips. Tobias!? You mean Toboe. By Set you've gotta see Wolf's Rain, who hasn't seen that? Its... I can't even describe it, its ridiculous the direction, fantastic the characters relationships. Fucking amazing. And Death Note? If you haven't seen Death Note how can you even stand up straight? Cause you're in a vicious cycle of trippin' ahahaha!

To keep you all company while I'm gone go to and search for author 'Maldoror' her stories will turn your body inside out with love! I promise!

...

A tree released a few flower petals to the sky as the wind blew. Summer was very close and the flowers were already giving up their spring blossoms for a more comfortable warm weather look, trees don't wanna be seen with scorched flowers clinging to them. It may sound crazy but that's the way Rock Lee saw it as he walked home with Gaara that, end of May, day. It was strange that Gaara wanted to spend so much after school time with him, not so much strange in a bad way it was nice walking home with the boy everyday. Sometimes Naruto and Shikamaru would be with them as well other times they'd be alone. And when Lee had band Gaara waited for him; the red haired boy would then walk home with him and his friends that the shorter male didn't know but he never seemed to mind he just never joined in the conversation. Which also was fine, if he didn't want to talk he didn't want to talk no big deal. Today was different though, today Lee has been invited home with Gaara- inside the boy's house. In all their time walking together he's never once been past the walkway to the door, same with Gaara at his uncle's house.

The front door is unlocked before being pushed open by Gaara. The shorter male walks into his home stripping down from his green uniform as soon as Lee stepped in behind him. Being polite the Rock child turned his attention any place else while Gaara removed his shoes and jacket. Lee hoped those were the only things to be removed, it was hard to tell with Gaara. From what Lee knows about him the boy is very comfortable with himself and has said things from stuff that's happened to him privately to publicly. Lee didn't need to hear about the boys first time masterbating or that he killed his puppy when he was four because he thought it would come back alright if he re-twisted the head back in place. Chilling. As his large eyes glanced about the dimly lit room he was amazed at how many flower arrangements were in the place. The Tsuna's must be a florists dream customer. They have very old furniture, the designs not as modern as you'd see in most homes. It was cozy, like being in a cottage out in the woods really.

"Aah!" He yelped when his eyes settled on a woman sitting on the couch, gaze out the window. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there Mrs. Tsuna." Lee laughs nervously scratching the back of his head. "I'm Rock Lee, eigth year student. Its nice to meet you!"

Looking perplexed at the wide-eyed boy, Gaara says in a flat voice. "She can't hear you." Dropping his bag onto the couch, he walks through the living room.

Shocked by this, Lee follows asking. "I'm sorry, I didn't know your mother was deaf- wish I knew sign language." He taps his finger to his chin trying to remember some simple signs that he's seen.

Entering the kitchen Gaara replies. "No, she's depressed."

Lee opened his mouth to say something but nothing came up, he just snapped his mouth shut struck by such a statement. Depressed? How do you even get depressed? Is it like a cold floating around in the air? That much sadness just did not make sense to Lee. Watching Gaara move about the kitchen getting glasses and things he asks. "Will she be ok? Has she talked to anyone?" Genuine concern laces his words.

"Why?" Asks Gaara absently. Pulling a glass container from the fridge, he shows it to Lee. "Do you want something to drink?"

Baffled by Gaara's attitude about the whole thing he simply nods to the question then answers the former question of 'why'. "Because she could get to such a place where she may want to..." He glances into the living room then sidles up to Gaara to whisper. "Commit suicide."

Pouring a glass of grapefruit juice for Lee and orange juice for himself; he remembered Lee saying the first time his family found out about his problem was from him having a simple glass of orange juice he knew the boy would need something else to appease his thirst. Handing it to Lee, he spares him a glance before moving past him into the living room.

"Don't you care?" He asks following.

"I've seen dead bodies before." Walking past the basement he nods to it; Lee shuddered just thinking about a body being down there and quickly hurried up the stairs. "My room is on the right."

'How can he not care about his mothers well being?!' Thinks the male, looking over his shoulder to where the woman is seated. 'Does his father care? Or his brother or sister? His uncle- she's his sister for Heaven's sake!' Coming from his thoughts as he enters the males bedroom. He looks around in wonder of how someone with so much... personality doesn't have a frighteningly black colored room or red.

Its actually really sparse, nothing in it but a bed and dresser next to it. A lamp on the desk is also nothing special, a closet with vented doors sits in the center of the middle wall. That's it. Nothing. Not a poster, nor picture, no sign of anything enjoyed by the male. The only two things that indicated someone inhabited the room and it wasn't just a spare used for guest is a brown stuffed bear on the boys bed and a venus flytrap on the windowsill.

Noticing that Gaara's green gaze is drilling holes into him he smiles. "You've got a nice room."

"You're lying." But he didn't look like he cared either way.

"Ahaha, yeah." He slips his arms shyly behind his head. "Sorry, I was never any good at lying." Deciding a drink was the better option than talking at the moment and he takes a big swig of the grapefruit juice expecting an unpleasant tartness but it was actually delicious. It even has a pleasant ruby color to it.

Gaara takes a seat on the bed, then nods for Lee to join him. The taller male does and they drink in silence. A comfortable silence.

4 4 4 4

Lee closes the front door after their entry. "Uncle?!" He called out to the man. "I'm home!" No reply. "Guess he's not here." He slips out of his things, shoes at the genkan and school jacket in the small closet close to the door. "Guess we've got the place to ourselves," he then mutters. "I don't suppose you'd want a drink or snack we already had one at your place."

"Does it bother you?" Asks Gaara.

"Does what bother me? Getting snacks together?" He figures. "No."

"I mean being alone."

Frowning thoughtfully, Lee than says with a bit of defense. "I'm not alone."

"When your uncle isn't here then you're alone." Gaara explains walking around the living room touching things. Other peoples homes always look so strange to him and always so many lights on or windows open.

Fully offended, Lee balls his fist at his sides, back straight as a rod he barks. "So what if he's not here, I'm not lonely!"

Looking at him curiously, Gaara says in his usual flat tone. "Don't be angry."

"I'm..." He started to say bitterly then calmed his words. "not angry. I was yelling because you weren't listening."

"I was listening."

"Than you just didn't understand. I'm in an empty house but I'm not alone."

Gaara shrugged.

"Hmph! And I suppose you're always around someone when you're at home?" He walks over to the red head as if he were gonna bop him on the head if he responded wrong.

"Where is my mother going that I'd be left alone?"

Smirking, Lee crosses his arms. "Aha! Your mother isn't in a well place so you may as well be alone for all the attention you give her."

"Touche."

"Anyway, nevermind that. I'm not alone, you're not alone we've both got the world around us empty homes or not. Come upstairs." He takes the shorter males hand into his own. "My room's this way."

Upstairs. Lee, very animatedly, arms spread out, shoves open the door to his bedroom. "Ta-daaaaa!" He said it as though he were throwing a surprise party for the guest that hid to throw one for him.

Gaara took in the room with interested eyes. The walls are a sort of cerulean blue with a light to dark design, spats of white are all over the walls like someone took a paint brush and beat the bristles over their hand to have it come out the way it looks. Gaze now lowering, Gaara notices the dark blue carpet, thin and smooth, but the kicker was a round, medium in size and canary yellow throw rug that Gaara was beginning to guess represents the sun. Upon further inspection, he walks to a brown bureau customized with sun and moon nobs. Lee's bed has planet covers and dark blue sheets on it. He can see that by the crisp way the bed has been made up revealing the unfitted sheet underneath from its slight fold over the blanket.

"Its childish." Is his critique.

Lee was floored! How could he not fall absolutely in love with this room?! His uncle, Gai, took particular care in locating these objects for his nephew, knowing about his love of the stars and space. When Lee was younger he had no real interest it jumped from left to morning like any normal kid, but when his father introduced him to the solar system Lee's been in love with it since and never left home without the telescope his uncle bought for him on his sixth birthday. He would drag it to and from the place.

"But I like it." Gaara wrapped up his opinion. "Do you like the stars or something?"

Glad that the boy liked it, he trots over to him beside the window. "Not just that! But the entire solar system, its just so cool." He watches with pride as Gaara inspects his gold lined wooden telescope. "This was my favorite birthday present." He explains.

Gaara touches it as though it might break. "Mm."

"If you spend the night sometime we can look at the stars together." Lee smiles brightly. "Its like having your own personal show this way."

Blinking, Gaara looks at Lee. "You're sick."

Taken aback, he snaps. "Excuse me!"

Gaara shakes his head to the boys offense. "Your chest is crackling when you speak." He walks closer causing Lee to back up a step. He remembers Lee mentioning signs and things from his condition. Drooping eyes, crackles, fever, and dizziness when breaths are excerted.

Blushing, Lee says quietly. "Oh. You noticed that?" He laughs nervously. "I- I didn't mean to, its just that you make me kind of nervous."

"How?"

"Aha...ha... you're just so attentive. I guess I'm not used to such an intense gaze." Saying that his friend seemed a bit hurt, Lee quickly waves his hands to clear the air. "Its not a bad thing! Honest!" Gaara's making Lee's chest very painful right now, as it rises and falls rather hard as his heart escalates.

Reaching his hand out he grabs a hold of Lee's before pressing himself to the male, other arm holding around the taller males thin waist. On his toes a bit, he leans upward pressing his lips lightly against the taller males for almost a split second before he moves not too far back from him. "You make me nervous too, but... I like it." Holding a hand over his heart. "Good and bad, all at the same time. That's what I feel from you."

Lee felt like he's just been dipped in hot grease as his cheeks light up. His first kiss... First kiss. What would people say? What would his uncle or parents say? What should he say to the person who did it?! His tension eased when Gaara's head rests on his chest.

"You've stopped crackling." Looking up at him, he asks. "Do you feel better?"

Lee's head moves up and down mechanically.

"Lee," he says almost like he's been asleep and just woke up. "Do you need anything from me?"

Blinking, he looks down at the top of the shorter males head. "Need anything?" What was that supposed to mean? What could he need from Gaara except maybe for him to back up a step or maybe come in closer- maybe it was time he left. What do you do in times like these?

"Yes. I feel like there's some reason that I'm drawn to you. That maybe I've been given a second chance to help you with something." He pulls away from the older boy. "Since the accident I've been thinking about you and myself."

"What have you been thinking?"

"I could have died, I should have but... I didn't." Gaara looks a bit uneasy. "And I wake up and there you are, in my thoughts, on my cast." He lifts the once bandaged arm that's been freed from its casing over the last week. "You're everywhere and I wanna know why. Is it because you spoke to me when I was dead? Is it because I'm not ever alive and I'm just following you to help you before you die as well. I want to know." Lowering his gaze he says mostly to himself. "I wouldn't help you to keep you alive; you're nice. I think I'd like to have you with me all the time."

Frowning, Lee asks in a sad voice having missed the end of what the boy said completely. "Why are you so obsessed with death? Is it because your father is a funeral director or because you've got bodies in your basement?"

"No."

"Gaara, if you were dead would I be talking to you right now?" He asks seriously.

With a shrug the shorter male looks out the window at a spikey haired male coming up the stone path to the front door of the Maitou home, distracting himself with something jumping in the grass. "I don't know a lot of things anymore. I'm confused."

"How can you be so casual with life? Yours, your mother's... its not right."

"What do you want when you're dead, Lee?"

Thrown off he asks. "Hmm?"

"What do you want when you're dead?"

"I... I don't understand the question."

Looking at the door when hearing the bell, he says calmly. "I want to belong. I want to belong to everyone and everything and not feel invisible anymore. The world makes you invisible and no one seems to care. There are classes and groups but when you're dead you all belong to the same thing... nothing. But you're not alone you're just nothing together." Taking a step away from Lee he says. "I have to go. You've got company."

Lee didn't know what to say. First kiss and now this. Gaara's such a strange boy and what could he mean by wanting something when you're dead? He'd want to live truthfully. Maybe Gaara got it wrong to think he has to do something for him, maybe its He, Lee, that has to do something for Gaara.

A boy with so much underlying passion can't honestly want to die. He touches his lips with thoughts of the little red head leaning up towards him. The image of the panda-eyed boy leaning up to him would be forever burned in his memory. He felt so sorry for Gaara, but not pity just sorry. He had no idea about the things going on in the boy's head. He thought that Gaara would be a, spoiled, pretty boy with a kind heart when he'd first seen him. He'd have tons of friends and girlfriends or boyfriends- now that he's received a kiss from him. But it isn't like that at all. Gaara's lonely. Very lonely by the way he talks. I have to save him. I just wish I knew how.

...

"You mean he was in your room, and you didn't do anything?" He sucks the accumulated cheese from his fingers after plunging them into a bag of Cheetos to scoop some of the crispy snack out. Kiba decided to fix himself a snack of a ham sandwich and Cheetos. "You're so weak."

"Am not." Lee crosses his arms with a frown on his face. "Besides, I think something might be wrong with him."

"Like what?" Kiba's over by the sink now rinsing the mayonaisse from the knife he'd used to spread it.

"I don't know if I can talk about it to someone else; is there a friend code I'm breaking by doing that?"

The Inuzuka boy smirked a sharp toothed smile, shrugging a reply before taking a bite of his sandwich.

He and Lee head into the living room to the couch where a show is waiting to be watched; the show has been paused so they wouldn't miss anything. Taking up the remote the bob-cut boy presses play before setting the remote back atop the coffee table infront of him. They watch tv in unspoken silence the only sound of living things is Kiba's crunching now and then. Lee is downtrotten and tapping a nervous foot wondering what to do about Gaara.

"Hypothetically speaking-..." He starts, finger in the air as he does so.

"Gaara said to me," corrects Kiba.

With a nervous laugh, Lee nods. "Gaara said to me..." He bites his upperlip trying to keep the words in but they slip past the baracade anyway. "I think that Gaara may be depressed like his mother."

"Hm." Was the brunet's only response.

Cocking a brow, Lee leans over to see his friend's face. "Well, doesn't that bother you?"

"Should it?" Asks Kiba. "I don't even really know Gaara or his mother for that matter. Anyway, I'm sure he's fine; the guy just naturally seems weird if you ask me."

Defeated to anyone seeing his side of things he slumps in the chair. "I'll bet you'd pay attention if I told you he kissed me." He mutters.

Reaching for the remote Kiba mutes the tv. "He kissed you?" Slamming his fist into the males chest, he grins. "How was it? How long? Was it just now when he was here?"

"It wasn't long, so quick I thought for a moment I was fantasizing, but yeah it was just before you came over." He doesn't sound to thrilled about it.

Snickering with satisfaction, he says. "I knew it. You can't spend half a month with a guy without wanting a little action. You two were just a matter of time."

"I don't know about that, but what am I gonna do about him and his mother?" Hearing the televisions volume go up, he snaps. "Kiba! Listen to me!"

"Can't hear you, Lee; the volume button is stuck."

Sighing in frustration he returns his attention forward ignoring the arm that goes behind Kiba's smug faced head. He needs to speak to someone with a clearer head than Kiba. Someone responsible and level-headed. Tonight he would call Neji, the most repsonsible guy he's ever met.

...

"Who's Gaara again?"

Wanting to whine like a four year old, Lee says sternly. "The red head, the one that got hit by the car- you remember?"

"Vaguely."

"I've been walking home from school with him sometimes, he's been with us occasionally!"

Holding the phone back aways, he says calmly. "Stop shouting Lee, it doesn't matter. What about him?"

"I think he may be secretly depressed like his mother. I don't want him to hurt himself because I really like him, and it would make me sad if I helped him to the hospital and the guy ended up hurting himself."

"Lee, you're not this kids guardian angel, he's responsible for himself- and his parents are responsible for him. If anything were wrong I'm sure they would help him."

"You're worse than Kiba... Maybe you're right, though, I'm not his guardian angel. I'll see you tomorrow, right? Last day of school before summer holiday."

"Yeah. The Uchiha's are having a barbecue, don't bring anything."

"Okay. See you later."

"Bye."

Hanging up, Lee bites his upper lip in thought. The Uchihas? Sasuke is the most reasonible guy I know. I'll call him! He'll have good advice.

The phone rang about five times before the younger boy picked it up. "Hello?"

Brows furrowing in confusion, Lee says in a hesitant voice. "Uuh, are you alright? Should I call back another time?"

Sasuke didn't reply and from the boys end Lee could hear low panting. He should really stop working out when on the phone, he could hurt himself that way. But a low moan sounded causing the boys hair to stand on end. That's not something you do during a work out. But he couldn't be, its only 9 o'clock!

"Maybe I should call back?" He says quickly.

"No. What is it?" Asks Sasuke finally remembering why he had a phone in his hand.

"What are you doing?" He had to know. There was no way a fourteen year old was having... well there was just no way Sasuke would be doing something in his house that early in the night without realizing that his parents could walk in.

"Nothing. What is it?" He sounds impatient now.

"Nevermind," he blurts out when hearing Naruto in the background. "I'll talk to you at school. Bye." He hangs up before he hears anymore. That was awkward. He shudders getting an image, his mind trying to figure out who might be on top. Curse his overactive imagination. "I've gotta take a shower!" He declared to no one before dashing from the room.

At Sasuke's home. Naruto looks questioningly at Sasuke then asks. "What was that about?"

"I don't know, just keep pushing." He instructs, pressing his feet into the wooden floor while his back shoves into the foot of the beds headboard. They've been trying to move that giant thing under the window since eight and he was beginning to think it wasn't going to work.

"Forget this!" Shouts the blond. "Its not gonna move. Anyway we're wasting time when we could be..." He whispers into his boyfriend's ear.

Scrunching his face Sasuke stands. "Go home, Naruto."

4 4 4 4

Gaara's breaths began to shorten as the invisible, yet very felt, assault on his body rolled to a close. Panting, he clutches the sheets under his palms to calm himself a bit further. Glancing at the neon clock on the dresser, he makes a note of the time. It happens the same time every night, lasting about the same amount of time. Sitting up, he reaches for a glass of water he brought up with him but when pressing it to his lips he ends up dropping the glass to the floor shattering it. Fingers come up to his lips as that small contact with them, there in the dark, reminded him of pressing his lips to Lee's. He had eaten dinner fine, drank and everything, but things are always a different story when you're in the dark and its no one but you.

_Why did I kiss him? I've never wanted to kiss anyone not that I'm aware of._ Dropping his feet to the side of the bed, he steps on the glass without so much flinching, as he leaves the bed and bedroom. Down the hall he travels into the living room and over to his mother who is asleep on the couch. Leaning over he stares at her face, then reaching out a hand he touches her hair.

"It won't make a difference what happens to you? Will it? You can't feel anything in there." He places a blonde lock behind her ear.

"Gaara?" Yashamaru emerges from the kitchen hands wiping out a glass.

Smiling, he walks over to his uncle wrapping his arms around him.

Chuckling the man says. "I'm glad to see you too, but what are you doing up? Its kind of late."

"I can't sleep."

"No problem. I'll come sit with you until you can. Is that alright?"

"Yes." Releasing his uncles waist, he leads the man upstairs to his room. He might get some sleep tonight if he's there with him.


	7. Best Friends

xXNeverLoveNeverXx sure! Squirrel friend is the highest of likes you can get from me. It means I'm familiar with you, and you're just as nuts as I am ahaha. Its definitely not MA. I think you can see every episode at youtube even the unaired ones. They're pretty hot dudes, and if looks should be rated I guess it is MA j/k. Its about finding paradise and only one wolf, Kiba, has ever seen it. They're all named for the major wolf parts: Kiba (fang), Hige (whiskers), Toboe (howling) and Tsume (claws). Ahahaha! Thank you! I hate it when I'm Noting out and someone's all 'say what now?' But I love watching it all over again while I show them.

KakaIru I'm not sure what happened... that's weird. I hope it wasn't anything on my end, I wouldn't know how to fix it. When it comes to computers I can be a bit of a doncus. But I'm glad its all sorted out for you. I gotta look into that. I didn't understand the guest review thing, and now I don't have them! I finally read it and read it and then I understood. So I took it off of check my guest reviews. I never even saw that the first time. I thought of a good one with missions and everything, Lee and Gaara going into Amegakure. I hope it turns out good because I'm really gonna have to dive into my basement- the good one, not the one where I *cough cough* tend to take people apart. What? I told you I was disturbed. And ohhhhh! You read her work and you love mine too! *that angelic hallelujiah sound* She's my goal! I wanna be as good as her because to me its just... the best. I get teary thinking about it. So hearing that from you is the best thing ever.

...

Gaara got to sleep that night for the first time since the accident but for him it wasn't exactly filled with the pleasent dreams his uncle whispered to him right before his eyes closed. How could he not fall asleep in the safety of the man? He caressed and combed his hair with his fingers so gently and kindly it was all very heady. Gaara wondered if all he needed was a sleeping partner to finally get some rest.

He sees himself walking, he can feel the effects of the walk, his legs lagging a bit from having been doing it for so long but he can't feel himself walking. A breath drawn in, but no sense of pulling the air into his body just the effects of breathing, lungs working stomach filling with air because he doesn't often breathe from his chest. As he walks his frosted green gaze glances left to right then ahead of him and once over his shoulder. He doesn't feel followed or anything he's just taking notice of his surroundings. He knows this road very well because him, Naruto and Shikamaru take it often to get to the hill with the single tree. The difference today is the scenery seems to be altering only after he's passed it. The leaves of trees falling off rapidly, grass browning and shriveling into the ground like winter were hitting the earth with full force. But if it were only winter then why was every person he passed dropping to the ground hard enough to fracture their skulls? It was as if everything he passed by was suddenly dying and yet ahead of him lay an untouched path, unsuspecting of his reign about to come upon it. Head turning slowly left then right, Gaara picks up speed turning his walk into a run, maybe it wasn't him passing things that was making it die, maybe he was being chased after all by time... by lack of time. His lungs began to work full force now as he dashed by houses and people, cars ceasing to move suddenly, plants and animals, he nearly got nailed on the head from a bird dying suddenly overhead.

Almost falling over he drops down beside the large tree at the top of the hill the dead closing in around him. Back pressed to the large tree, he's on his tip-toes avoiding the black. His eyes begin to close tight but instead re-open in a flash as a different kind of shadow covered the sun.

"Lee!" He calls out but his voice is gone. Grabbing his throat he looks down at the ground. The darkness seemed to stop, back away even. At his sides he sees Naruto and Shikamaru standing there, he tries speaking to them but again his voice is gone. Wondering if the others can talk, he reaches for Lee's shoulder to spin him around but the male turns on his own, a bright smile on his face.

Lee's lips move rapidly as he says something to Gaara that he can't hear. Naruto and Shikamaru seem to be agreeing with Lee, speaking rapidly as well, their hands patting him on the shoulders. Looking around confused and somewhat in a daze he notices the darkness has retreated and the world became alive again. Pushing away from them he walks past a few steps looking out at the sun covered field. Wondering what was going on. He turns around to speak to them again. Eyes wide, he gasps seeing the three of them collapsed in a heap, grey all over; the tree once beautiful and full of life now dead and grey as well. He dropped to the ground touching their backs. Shaking them a bit, he says soundlessly that they should wake up. It isn't funny to trick people like this, but they don't move. It isn't until he notices the grey on his hand that he's panicked again. Standing, Gaara turns and runs back down the bright hill which is dying off behind him. If he could just get to the street he'd be sa-...

Wrong. Barreling down the street at him is a sports car that looked as if it didn't plan on stopping whether it ran the boy down or not. Covering his face with his forearms Gaara awaited the impact but was surprised by the ground shaking beneath him. The car toppled over on a large piece of road that rose up beneath it flipping it over. The tremors are coursing through him and yet he can't feel his body moving. The same push and pull from the start.

_**Gaaaraaaa!**_ A harsh voice cried out below him. _**Gaara!**_

Looking down he sees the hole in the street has become a mouth, opening and closing but he can hear this voice unlike his own and the others. Taking off at a run Gaara heard a clap of thunder which made him look up into the sky. He staggered a moment seeing a pair of eyes looking down at him, sad, sleepy eyes. The thunder sounded again, but looking toward the noise he sees that it was two cars smashing into each other, many cars were slamming into each other getting closer and closer to him.

He startled when the grey rose up the right side of his body. He smacks himself like he's on fire but the burn won't go down. Creeping further and further up his body until his eyes are covered in darkness. Body stiff, still now Gaara falls backward to the shaking street. Darkness everywhere, everything covered in black.

Sitting up in bed, panting hard the young boy attemtps to flee but he's grabbed around the waist unable to move. Grabbing onto the thing that has him, Gaara struggles to get free until he hears his uncle's voice telling him to relax.

"Where am I?" He looks around seeing absolutely nothing. Was his dream real? "Why is it so dark?"

"There's been a storm, it knocked all the power out. Are you ok? I heard you screaming." He lays the boy down on the bed, caressing his hair at the line beside his face. "Don't tell me my strong hero is afraid of the dark." He teased.

"I... I dreamt..."

"Hmm?"

"I went to sleep and had a dream."

"That happens to some people, the lucky ones, I think." Snickering a bit, he says. "I've never had a dream my whole life, not a sleeping one anyway."

The opening door caught their attention; a light beams in at them causing squinted eyes.

"Yashamaru, is everything alright?" Asks his father left a little in the darkness behind the beam of light.

"Everything is fine, Gaara and me were just talking about dreams." Says the man casually.

His father seemed to take that making his way down the hall to Temari's bedroom to check on her. A flash of lightning lit the room giving attention to the storm.

"So what about this dream?" Asks Gaara's uncle. "Was it a very bad dream?"

It was just a thunder storm getting my attention from outside, and the darkness was just the power going out. Everyone dying was no doubt because of what Lee said to me earlier. It all makes sense. His fears eased. "No. I was just remembering today."

"You had a friend over, that's good for you."

"Yeah."

"I've never seen him before though, is he a new kid? Seems older than you right? Or maybe just tall."

"He's not new I've just never noticed him until recently... His name is Lee."

"Hmm. You should invite Lee over for dinner sometime, all your friends can come."

"No. I'm never speaking to any of them ever again."

Cocking his head, he asks. "Why not? Did you have a fight?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"I don't wanna talk about it."

"I see. Well, its your choice to do what you like to do so I won't judge you." He scoots down on the bed so that he's laying down beside his nephew rather than sitting. Arms wrapped securely around him, Yashamaru snuggles the boy then says 'goodnight'.

Hugging the man back, he smiles softly in the darkness and whispers. "Goodnight... Mamma."

But no rest comes to him this time, he just listens to his sleeping uncle eased by the sound of the man.

June 12 2004...

Lee yelped when closing his locker and finding Naruto standing behind it; eyes dewy and sad. "Hey Lee?" He says in a broken voice.

"Naruto, whats wrong?" He looks up then down the hall to make sure no one was eyeing the poor boy who is on the verge of crying in public; it could harm him for life if anyone saw! Taking the boy by the elbow he leads him into the bathroom so they could talk privately. "Did something happen? Do you need my help?" He asks ready to stick up for anyone in troubles light.

"Huh? No. No it's not me its Gaara."

Shocked by this, he repeats. "Gaara? What about him?"

"I don't know how he's been with you but Gaara's been ignoring Shikamaru and me for nearly a month now and its really starting to harsh on my karma- you know what I mean?"

"I think so." A frown on his face he admits sadly. "Gaara hasn't spoken to me in a long time either. I think it might be because of something I said to him about his Mom."

"Whaat!? What'd you bring her up for? You know she's a touchy subject in that house- hell even out of the house!"

Looking like he'd just been popped on the head, Lee says quietly. "I didn't know. I was only asking why no one was getting help for her, that's all. I didn't mean any harm in it."

"Listen, you don't know the whole story behind that but..." He looks around. "His brother once told me that the reason his mother shut down was because of something Gaara had said to her one day."

"Oh."

"I'm not sure what it was, Kankurou said they were the only two in the house and when everyone came back from wherever she was screaming and throwing things at Gaara until he ran off. He was young so he probably forgot all about it and just assumed she shut down for some reason. Having your brother and sister say it was your fault hurt him pretty bad too, and his father has never been the same. His uncle never changed towards him neither did his brother and sister but that is one broken home. So go say you're sorry already so he can stop ignorning us! He's even sitting at a different table at lunch and since no one will sit with him but us I can't take that lonely look!" His eyes well up with tears and he grabs a hold of the older boys crisp white shirt. "How can you take it?"

Tearing up as well, Lee cries out. "I can't! I wanted to sit with him so many times but he'd always flash me this dangerous look. I thought he might wanna be alone to think."

"Thinking's never good! Go fix this now!"

"I will!" He salutes the blond general then dashes off.

The toilet flushes behind a closed stall and out comes Gaara, tired look on his face as he walks over to the sinks.

Naruto watches the boy with muted horror wondering just how much he heard then realizing how could he not have heard he and Lee aren't exactly soft spoken. But what's he gonna do to him with no witnesses? Frozen like a statue, eyes wide and face wrinkled like a little old woman watching a cat eat from her plate but she's too tired to shoo it away-... no that's not it. But boy is he scared. Only to his surprise Gaara finished washing his hands and left without a word. Shrinking down to the floor in relief, he popped back up as another thought entered his head.

"Oh no, Lee!" He hurried from the bathroom to locate the boy before the wrath of Tsuna could come down on him. Dead is a bad way to start summer vacation.

...

"Hhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh -...Hu" Shikamaru coughs with a force after a large bug flew into his open mouth. Once the bug frees itself, he watched its dazed departure with a grumble. "Nature." A sudden laugh caught his ear, turning his head to the sound he blushes a bit seeing the cute boy from school, Hyuuga Neji, was watching him take a nap under the park tree.

After his brief laugh the male went back to his book, cd player blocking out all sounds around him.

Shikamaru couldn't let this opportunity pass him by, its one in a lifetime and this was that one. After a languid and showy stretching session, he finally pulls himself up from the grass then ambles over to the mysterious boy, if only he'd gone sooner he wouldn't have had Naruto smash into him toppling them both over.

"Naruto, what the hell?" He shoves the boy off. This was not how he wanted to spend his summer, stuck under a panting Naruto when he could be stuck under Neji.

"Have you seen Lee come past here?"

"Lee? No."

"We have to find him, there might be a fight!"

Having heard the entire conversation due to song changing, Neji came over to the pile of seventh year student splayed out on the grass to ask. "What about Lee?"

Eyeing him, Naruto cocks a brow then scratches the side of his head. "Who wants to know?"

"One of his best friends; you said someone was going to beat him up?"

"Yeah, yeah maybe." He sits cross-legged and crossed arms, serious look on his face. "I told him something personal about someone else and that someone else heard and next thing I know I'm chasing after no one looking for them."

Making a face of confusion, Neji asks. "Did you understand any of that?"

Standing, Shikamaru gives his shoulder a quick rub to remove the pain of being crushed momentarily then replies. "Yeah, Naruto told Lee something personal about our friend Gaara, and no doubt this personal thing is something really personal which is gonna have Gaara seek Lee out with intent to shut him up."

"What he said? So did you see him?"

"Yes, he said something about the flower shop on East. Its... Hana love."

"Okay, let's go Shika-..." Processing what he just heard he repeats. "Flowers?"

...

There standing outside of 'Flower Love' is Rock Lee; a hand full of money and a determinded look upon his face. He's never picked out flowers before, hell he's never even thought about flowers before but this is really important and he must get them. Stepping stones to cure a lost soul and he will help Gaara, or his name isn't Rock Lee. But how many flowers can you get for twenty bucks?

Pulling the door, it fights back with resistance, giving it another tug he then sees the sign beside it that reads: Push. Laughing at himself for being a bit too determined, he pushes the door open walking inside. The florest is an elderly woman about 60-72 though she doesn't look a day over 50-something, it must be from the cat she's petting; a bright orange, brown eyed fatty of a cat. It still looks to have some spring youth in it though. The elderly woman smiles kindly to the boy, her squinted eyes shaded by the overhead lights reflecting in her glasses.

Going up to the counter Lee sets his money down like a child hoping for a haul of candy. "Excuse me Miss?" He says politely. "Can you tell me how many flowers I can get for a small amount of money?"

"Depends on what kind you'd like youngman."

"Hmm?" Looking over his shoulder at the display of the flowers in the shop, he then turns back to her to say. "I'd like something very cheerful, uplifting, that if you saw them you might just get up and sing!"

A rough laugh comes from the woman, and she waves a hand to the chipper male. "We sell flowers son, but I like your enthusiasm. I believe your special female would like some Marigolds, maybe a nice pepper of Daisy's to finish the look."

"That sounds wonderful! How much would that cost?" Fist raised in a mood to haggle for them if its too much. He supposed he could borrow some money from a passerby and just exchange information so he could pay them back, but would he have time to find someone generous enough if the price were something like 80 or even a 100!

"For someone so passionate, I'll say 32."

"Oh, I only have 20, but I can come back tomorrow-..."

Cutting him off she says. "20 will be fine. I'll give you the nice face discount."

Beaming her a radiant smile, he just about jumps over the counter to hug her in thanks. "Thank you so much, this is going to make her very happy."

The woman laughs again. "So it is a young lady you'd like to please."

Lee shakes his head. "Sort of. I'll help you get them together, he walks over to the pointed flowers to retrieve them so the old woman wouldn't have to stand. She really looks like she doesn't move around too much. He wondered for a second if she'd like an assistant over the summer. It would be a nice job and helpful to someone. Again he shakes his head. Stay focused Lee, this isn't the time to be thinking about that. Bringing the flowers over to the counter the elderly woman makes a beautiful arrangement of them then hands them over to the boy in a box with a lovely yellow bow.

"You have a nice day youngman." The old woman waves as he leaves the store.

"You too," he calls over his shoulder. "And thank you."

"Bye."

_Now to get to Gaara's house._ He takes off running.

4 4 4 4

Gaara answered the door after the bell sounded, his face went from placid to anger in a flash. "Why are you here?"

Taken aback by the anger behind that, Lee staggered over his words. "I-... I actually didn't come to see you, so you can remain angry with me if you'd like, but I wanted to give something to your mother. May I?" His large bushy brows raise up in question.

Gaara looked Lee over carefully then stepped aside.

"Thank you." He walks into the home.

Sure enough the woman is sitting on the couch, gaze out the window.

Lee takes a seat beside her on the couch, he carefully sets the box onto her lap smiling sweetly as he does so. "I brought these for you. You get to see all these lovely flowers brought in for other families, I thought you could use some of your own. That way you can have them for as long as you like instead of seeing them come in and out all the time."

Gaara watched this useless scene play out before him. Lee is a fool, his mother hasn't moved or said a word for years. The only time she really does move about is for the bathroom and to lifelessly eat but only because his uncle or father force it on her. What made Lee think he could crack that shell, if her own husband or brother couldn't. But to Gaara's absolute astonishment; Kakura, his broken mother, took the flowers. She not only took the flowers but she acknowledged Lee with a question in her eyes as if to say 'for me?'.

"The woman at the flower shop was certain these would brighten a room, but I think the flowers might have some competition from you." He smiles even brighter.

The woman looked at Lee for a long time and then with a curling of the side of her unpainted lips, she began to laugh. It was a small sound but it was definitely there and it lasted for about 2 seconds but that was all the Rock child needed to laugh as well. Gaara had seen enough. Storming over to the couch he took Lee by the wrist and dragged him from the couch out the front door and down the street.

...

Gaara's gaze lay miserably on the glass of iced tea in front of him on the table of the diner. He brought Lee here and he knew why but he had yet to voice his reasons or means. Lee ordered a ham and swiss sandwich with a side of salad and ate it in patient, silence while Gaara thought over what he wanted to say. Maybe Gaara didn't want to say anything at all and just felt like company. It was hard to read the red head sometimes. Lee was pleased that Mrs. Tsuna liked the flowers though, she even laughed- that's so great!

Looking over at Gaara, Lee moves his plate closer to the male. "Do you want half of my sandwich?"

"Why are you doing this to me?" Asks Gaara suddenly.

"I thought you might like something to eat, you only ordered tea and it smelled like something was cooking at your house. I thought I-..."

"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about showing up in my life and changing everything like you give a damn." He looks up at the wide-eyed male now. Anger and yet a bit of concern in his eyes. "You barely know me, and you wanna act like my superman; I don't need that, and I don't need you."

"I see." He pulls the plate back over to him, setting his half of the sandwich back onto the plate. "But Gaara, I'm just being your friend. I... I wanna be your friend."

"I don't know if you've noticed but all my friend slots have been filled. Go away."

Lee looked as though he's just been slapped in the face with a brick. "Go... away?"

"And don't ever come back." He shoves his chair out then starts for the door.

"Don't ever-..." Looking up from his teary-eyed deflation, he sees the male attempting to leave. "Gaara wait!" Getting up from the table he hurried to the door, but upon reaching he quickly turned back around dropping some money onto the table praying it was enough since he'd spent the most of his budget on flowers. "Gaara!" He called out looking this way and that through the small herd of people. Dashing up the street after spotting a red dot weaving through the break in the crowd, he's glad that its actually Gaara. Snatching the male by the elbow, he pulls him aside to an ally way.

Gaara looked on the verge of tears and he was shaking a bit, but he didn't fight the grip Lee has on him, or the shove against the shop he received.

"Before, you asked me what I want before I die... I thought you were being weird again, but when I really thought about it, I knew the answer. I wanted to tell you but you were avoiding me, but I can tell you now..." He frowns, his eyes watering as well. "The thing I want is to go without regret; to forgive anyone whose hurt me and be forgiven by anyone that I've hurt." His voice cut like he were crying silently behind his words. "And I can't do that, I can't really say that I have that now, that I know you. Your mother is crying to herself and I don't think its fair; I don't know what you said to make her sad like that, and I don't care. But if she's in there and able to feel better than, she should... you... you can't stop me from caring about her... or _you_." He hugs the smaller boy close.

Gaara can feel Lee's warm tears hitting his back. He's crying for him. "You don't... no one cares about me."

"You're wrong about that." Lee's muffled voice says quietly. "Lots of people do. I care about you."

"Shut up." He sounds frightened, his voice barely a whisper. His hands grip the front of Lee's shirt, but he doesn't shove him off.

Shaking his head, Lee says again. "I care about you."

"Shut up."

He holds him tighter. "I care about you... I care...about... you."

_The way he said it... there are no tears in his voice... He... wasn't crying to admit that he cared about me; he cried when telling me his wish, like he may be embarrassed to admit wanting something so simple to achieve, or maybe he cried because it was a lie... I don't know... but he didn't cry that he cared for me. I can... die without you._ This known, Gaara's arms came up around Lee's back holding him tightly, swaying in that grip while Lee continued to tell him that he cared.


	8. Never Be Alone Again

Silently the two boys walk to the Tsuna home. To Lee's surprise, though, Gaara has taken his hand, gripping it tightly within his own. The shorter male seemed to have something on his mind that he looked like he wanted to say, but Gaara chose silence being stubborn to tell anyone anything about himself. But its because of that that Lee feels he has the boy somewhat figured out. He's been around complicated people before, but never anyone like Gaara. Even still, he wants the strange boy to be alright and have a good life, he feels everyone deserves one even if the person, themself, doesn't think so.

Gaara sighed, it sounded like a sigh of defeat actually; turning his head he looks at Lee with a glaring frown. "If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell anyone else?"

"My lips are sealed." He kept his gaze straight ahead watching the sunset turn the sky pink.

Gaara eyes him a moment as if to see if his word is real, but since Lee seems like an honest enough person he decides to tell him. "I had a dream a while back about you and me, Shikamaru and Naruto."

Lee nods hoping the finish of the sentence went along the lines of 'we were having a foursome' or something. Sex was odd enough to him. Sure, he could tell it felt nice but pressing yourself to another person to feel good is just plain weird.

"Everything around me was dying when I passed by it... People, animals and plants, even cars stopped moving. It was alarming."

"Hmm, but I thought you wanted everyone to die, so we could all be one?" He wasn't trying to be smug, he really wasn't, he just didn't understand how a dream about death could freak out the strange boy who, from what he gathered, liked the idea of passing on.

"I do, but... this dream was different. It wasn't like good dying, everyone seemed sad. No one smiled like they were going to a better place... They just died."

"I see." He lowers his gaze to the ground. What Gaara's saying makes some sense. Having a warped sense of death, then having a realistic dream about it can really frighten a person. He didn't want to be the one to tell Gaara that, yes, we may all go to a better place possibly people aren't happier just because they're dead. They're just dead and that's it.

Gaara went on. "I got to the tree on the big hill thinking I could escape it but it came at me so much faster;" his voice lowers. "All this darkness creeping up on me... But you three were there, shielding me from the darkness and it didn't get me, infact it turned around and everything was alive again. I was so confused- but relieved. Then when I turned around to thank you, all of you were dead and the darkness was coming at me again from the tree."

"Hmm." Thinks Lee.

Watching the males expressions, he asks. "Do you think it means anything?"

"I'm not sure, I'm no dream expert. I barely remember my dreams by the time I wake up."

Let down by that response, he sighs. "Then you can't help me."

"I'm sorry."

"Forget about it."

Kinda hard to do that now that I know. Thinks Lee, side-eyeing the shorter male.

The two are silent for a good stretch, hands slightly swinging since, in a state of discomfort, Lee couldn't think of anything else to do. But then a thought occured to him as he remembered what Naruto told him in the bathroom about something that Gaara had said to his mother.

"Gaara?"

The male intoned a small hum telling Lee to go on.

"Maybe he shouldn't have, but, someone told me that you said something to your mother that upset her. Do you remember what it was?"

"Naruto should learn that personal business means just that;" He said ratting the tattle-tell out on his own. "Anyway, I can't remember what I said to my mother, if I said anything to her at all." His eyes seemed to shade over. "We were together one afternoon watching something on tv..." He speaks as though he sees it all happening right now. "She held me in her arms and rocked me... she said she loved me and gave me a kiss."

Lee felt there was more to it than that and he wished someone could tell him but the only people there were Gaara and his mother. He did get the woman to smile at him, even talk. Maybe she could tell him what happened, and once he knows that he can help the boy be... happy. It seems like that's all Gaara really wants. His sense of belonging is being wanted in a comfortable place surrounded by people who want him back. It isn't hard to get those things- Lee at least thinks so. But Gaara makes it sound like no one could possibly give him that. It could be because of his mother shutting down on him, its the only thing that makes sense to Lee.

I'll do everything I can to reunite them. I'll give Gaara his wish so he doesn't have to wait until he dies to get it. Smiling to himself, Lee can't help but feel a sense of warmth wash over him at helping a friend out, especially when he cares so much about him.

They walk until they reach the Tsuna home, at which point Gaara takes one look at the place then continues past; Lee's hand still in his own, and he heads for the Rock home instead. Lee wondered where the heck the boy thought he was going, but then he remembered inviting him to stay over some night so they can watch the stars together. He figured that Gaara chose this night as the night to take him up on his offer. Just as well, he wasn't sure if he was ready to leave the boy on his own just yet, he seems so emotionally drained, voice barely wanting to speak. Was it really so hard for him to believe that someone cares about him?

Hm. Good death and bad death? Is there really such a thing? Wonders Lee as he unlocks the door to his uncles house allowing them both inside. He wasn't sure of the answer but he would find it out for the strange boy. That's what you do for people who are precious to you. And for Lee Gaara was slowly becoming the most precious of all, not because the boy needs him, but because he's actually kind of sweet in his own way; so-much-so that Lee is finding it hard to spend a day without seeing him at least once or twice.

...

Its later that day, around nine o'clock. Gaara is sitting on the grass, legs out before him, hands back past his hips on a lean. He's watching Lee put up a tent for them to sleep in. Having dinner at the Maitou home was different from dinner at his house. Gai was very animated and attentive to him, whereas Temari would feed them and either leave or talk about her day which was nothing special. Kankurou would ask him about his day but he mostly did it to pick on him about it. Sometimes his uncle and father would eat with them but not often enough. He wondered what was going on at his house right now. His mother had spoken to Lee, she wouldn't even speak to her own husband muchless children. What is it about Lee that makes him likeable. Can he obtain this? Is that even possible for someone like himself.

"There." Says Lee, pounding the last steak into the ground. Standing he smiles at Gaara gesturing for him to get inside by raising a hand to the tent. "Do you wanna sleep on the left side or the right?"

Standing Gaara walks over to the tent stepping inside. He didn't care which side he slept on. Lowering himself on the sleeping bag, he pulls the loose pajamas about himself wondering how Lee can only have one pair. He has at least three sets but refused to go home to get one so he ended up sleeping in one of Gai's night shirts. The dark blue plaid actually made him look very cute Lee thought, but he kept it to himself. Bad enough he's confused about his feelings for the shorter male, and knowing that Gaara had chose to kiss him without reason made him twitchy as to what the boy would do next without knowing why.

Climbing in, he set his telescope up just outside of the tents flap, pointing it to the sky. "Do you wanna look first?"

Gaara looked towards the open door, then leans out a bit grabbing a hold of the scope. It was amazing that something so small could see so far out into nothingness and yet nothing held everything. Stars, planets, etcetra. Its amazing.

"Does your uncle always talk that much?" Asks Gaara leaning further down, legs bending up beneath him so that he isn't lying down anymore.

"As long as I've known him." Lee replies unable to take his eyes from the boy.

"How could he hug a stranger, though?"

Lee cocks a brow, then laughs. "He's very friendly and likes people. My entire family is like this."

"Must be frustrating to live around."

"Its not!" Lee argues. It was amazing how quickly this boy could frustrate you when he's unknowingly adorible every other time. "We're a great family... maybe the greatest in the world."

"Now you're just being ridiculous." Comments Gaara turning the telescope to the right. "Can it zoom in any closer?"

"Hmm? Yeah." Sitting up, he grabs the focus giving the knob a good turn. "Is that better?"

"Yeah." He smirks. "I can see Naruto and Sasuke perfectly now."

"Gaara! Stop that." He pulls him away from the scope.

Gaara put his hand over his mouth, shaking slightly. "Calm down, I was joking. Look for yourself."

Frankly he didn't want to, but he had to make sure Gaara wasn't spying on his friend. Peeking into the scope, he was happy to see that it had a really nice view of a cluster of stars that looked a bit like the milky way but couldn't be.

"Wow..." Says the Rock child.

Crossing his arms, feeling an 'I told you so' coming on, Gaara instead looks down at Lee noticing a tip of his ear as his well groomed hair dipped forward with his lowered head. Reaching out, never one to care about someone elses personal space, he moves the hair completely to expose the ear. His thumb brushing absently over the rim of the lobe just long enough before Lee jumped out of his skin from the contact.

"What are you doing?"

"I was just looking at your ears. Why are you so jumpy?" Scooting forward he reaches up again, raking his fingers through Lee's bangs and back smiling at the view of a very terrified Lee as he does this.

"Ahahaa, okay that's enough of that." He says nervously scooting away from the intrusive boy- which in the small tent was kind of tough to do, if anything he only moved closer to him. They should have used his uncles. "How would you like it if I did that to you?"

"Stop making it sound like I molested you. If anything you should be worried about your over friendly uncle doing it."

Nostrals flared in anger Lee raised his hand to slap the boy, but instead he placed his hand to the boys cheek and merely turned his head as if to mimick one during an acting scene. But Gaara seemed to get the hint enough as he touched his face curiously. It was strange. No one's ever disciplined him before- ever. Even when he purposely broke a vase full of flowers for this family that his father said was extra important so no one should bother even a single flower.

Lee looked like he'd just run over a baby seeing the look on Gaara's face. "I-... I'm sorry."

"Forget it." Moving closer to the taller male, he places Lee's hands around his shoulders and his own went around the male's waist. He then lay his head on Lee's chest and sighed comfortably. "I want to be like you Lee. Just like you."

"Huh?"

"Teach me to be like you." He asks a bit more clearly.

"Like me?"

"Yes. Just like you."

"But... I like you as you are."

"If you say so." Releasing the male he climbs into the sleeping bag, then grabs the scope again. "Let's look at the stars some more."

Unsure, Lee lays down to join him. Gaara sure is strange.

4 4 4 4

Gaara is alone by the large tree on his and his friends favorite hill. The young boy is sitting with his back against the large plant, legs out before him watching the sun sink into nothing. Curling his legs in under him he lays himself down on the soft green grass and through half lidded eyes he watches the sunset lay itself over the sky with a brilliant orange and red glow. Gaara's eyes close momentarily because they open again just as quickly upon his hearing foot steps approaching. Its Lee. Their eyes lock together for a long moment, until the other boy smiles lifting a hand as a greeting. Lee asks him something but his words are silent, but its okay because Gaara's voice is gone as well. But they can understand each other and the red head nods to invite the Rock child to lie with him. Bowing, Lee sinks down to the grass then lays down, though, he chose to lay on his back. He's directly before Gaara so their heads are almost touching.

The two lay comfortably in silence for a bit, then voice still gone, Lee says. "Its funny meeting you here again; this is where I first saw you, from there, we shared a room in the hospital."

Confused, Gaara asks. "Why were you in the hospital? Were you hit by a car too?"

"Hm?" He tilts his head back to look at the male as best he could. "No. I have hypertension."

"And I was in a coma."

Happy as a clam, he rolls over onto his stomach. "That's right!" Arms folded under her chin, he smiles and says. "The doctors told me I could talk to you." Rolling back over onto his back, he lifts his hand over his head, fingers wriggling to get Gaara's attention.

The red head takes Lee's hand, gripping it firmly within his grasp. Lee felt so warm, and so real, he never wanted to let him go.

Lee blushed, squeezing Gaara's hand in return. "Its so weird to look at the two of us sitting together like this. I'm kind of a dork at school, but you you must have tons of friends. You're probably very well liked."

Blinking at that statement, Gaara looks at the top of Lee's head. "No." Resting his head back down, his cheek to the grass, though, resting on his folded arm. "I'm not so sure I'm really liked at all."

"Don't say that!" He squeezes the boys hand again.

"Why not, its what I think."

"Hmhm." Lee chuckles. Closing his eyes, he sighs and says. "I forget sometimes that you say the weirdest things. But I like it, its... cute."

Gaara thinks that over for a moment. Then smiling he says. "Thank you... for accepting me."

Smiling to himself, Lee says. "How's about we make a promise to each other to stay well together and be friends so that way whenever we feel like being ourselves, we'll never be alone again."

Gaara smiles faintly. "I-... I'd like that."

4 4 4 4

Opening his eyes Gaara mumbles. "I'd like that."

Lee moved a bit at the sound of a voice but he remains asleep. He's always been a heavy sleeper, mostly due to his condition keeping him down and even with the defribrilator he can't break the habit of sleeping like a stone. Which was fine for Gaara.

Scooting closer to the male, he tilts his face closer to Lee pressing his mouth to the sleeping males. Hand coming behind Lee's head, he presses Lee's face closer to his. Gaara's never kissed anyone beyond a quick peck, but he's walked in on Shikamaru and Temari plenty of times to get the basics.

The kiss may have been one-sided at the start, but soon Lee's sleeping state took notice to warm feeling washing over him, and in a deep breath he pulled himself from his coma-like state to see the red head pulling away from him; his lips parted from the quick release of them. Gaara looked guilty for having woken him up, but Lee only smiled at him, placing a hand to his cheek pulling Gaara back down to kiss him in return. He's not gonna get this wrong this time. Mouth parted, taking in Gaara's bottom lip to sandwich between his own, he gives it a tested lick with his tongue before pulling back a bit allowing the lip to be tugged between his own before it came free. Gaara moved back, tasting his own mouth with a lick as if it might have been bitten to drawing blood. Assured that he wasn't going to be called out for rough kissing, Gaara returned the favor to the Rock child, pulling kisses from him as well.

Unable to resist further contact, Lee wraps his arms around Gaara's back pulling him tightly to him. Lee is a bit surprised when Gaara straddles his hips, warm weight resting upon him but his mind is too clouded to be frightened by what happens between two people sitting on each other while kissing. Gaara's breaths come out in heated little pants in Lee's ear as he kisses the shorter boys jaw and cheek; Lee's hands curiously wander down Gaara's back to his hips then lower, intent set on raising the night shirt that covers the boy like a nightgown. It wasn't until he recalled whose pajama top it was that Gaara is wearing that Lee snapped out of his trance. Pushing the red head away, he sits up before Gaara can return to his lap.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know what I was doing." He said lamely.

Gaara looked put out because of that. "...So you didn't like it."

"I did."

"Oh... then you don't like me."

"I like you too."

"Then what's the problem?"

Lee frowned thinking that over. Would Gaara really have had sex with him just right off the bat like that, or did he merely want to kiss? Lee would gladly kiss him if that were the case but sex is... its serious. Really serious.

"Well?"

"Gaara, will you go out on a date with me?"

That took him by surprise. Smirking a bit, he looks down at the sleeping bag beneath him. "Where would we go?"

"I don't know. Someplace, though, that we can both enjoy."

"Until you decide on a place?" He questions suspiciously.

"Until then, you're my boyfriend." He grinned as the word passed his lips. He's never had a boyfriend before- or a girlfriend but either way its a nice feeling.

Nodding, Gaara stands up then leaves the tent.

Curious, Lee asks. "Where are you going?" He moves the flap of the tent aside.

"I have to pee."

He hears the male say as he disappears into his uncle's home.

"Oh." Still grinning like a nut, he lays back down on the sleeping bag, a nice feeling coursing through him. Gaara's gonna be alright.

Walking through the home after going to the bathroom, Gaara spots Gai in the kitchen starting breakfast. Lee may not want to teach him to be like him but that doesn't mean he can't just mimic what he's seen the chipper male do. Heading into the kitchen he cocks a brow when the older male laughs upon seeing him. It must be the over-sized pajama shirt on him. Lee thought it looked funny too.

"Good morning!" Greets the man brightly smiling at him while his hands absently tend to an omlette for them. "Did you sleep alright?"

"I guess." He replied truthfully.

"Is Lee up?"

Turning his head as said person just enters the house; tent folded under his arm. Gaara replies. "Yes."

"Good! Breakfast will be in 15 minutes."

Nodding to show he got the message; Gaara, though, remains at Gai's side.

Gai hummed thoughfully while turning the egg over in the pain. His glance kept itself at the boy's position beside him. He wondered what the boy wanted for starters, but then told himself not to be so rude. Maybe Gaara is just really hungry and can't wait. Or maybe the boy is just a little off. In all the time his wonderful nephew has known the boy he's never once come home without saying what an odd boy Gaara is.

"Do you-.." Gai begins but is cut off.

"Can I help with something?"

_Oh! Was that all?_ Laughing to himself, Gai shakes his head. "I've got it covered, thank you anyway. You can go hang out like youthful boys do. Watch tv, maybe wrestle, or take a relaxing shower. We have a wide selection of board games and card games."

Mouth twitching in brief thought, he turns to leave but stops a moment to ask over his shoulder. "Are you sure?"

"Very sure. Go on now."

"Alright. But if you need me, just call." Leaving the kitchen, Gaara couldn't help but feel good about how that went- though he missed Gai scratching his head in puzzle over it. He was actually getting excited about today and tomorrow too. If this works things are gonna be really interesting from now on.


	9. Let me be the one

xXNeverLoveNeverXx ahaha kickin'. I forgot to mention if they took it from youtube (because we know what they're getting to be like concerning anything entertaining) you can go to and see the series there. In English or Japanese I think. Rape Gaara, naah, that'd be weird. Hahaha... hmm I get the strangest feeling everyone thinks I'm a girl *shiver* well, I do have a girl roaming around in my head, and she does come out from time to time, but I'm definitely not a lady.

...

_December 22, 2004._

A tin can clanks noisily down the icy street from Kiba's reign upon it with a stick. The brunet has been thinking about getting some of the neighborhood kids together for an ice hockey game on the 23rd so, absently, he's been practicing. It will be nice to have Lee on the team instead of being goally because of his condition. The Rock child was excited as well since its his first winter in Fukuoka with his new pacemaker. The nuts been jogging in the mornings, and randomly taking in deep breaths just to test its strength. Kiba thought he might be pushing it a little, and took it upon himself to pretend to want rest so that Lee would take a break with him. Besides, Lee's uncle is really nice and invited him and some others over to their place to celebrate Christmas with them. The Inuzuka's don't celebrate Christmas so it would be a first for Kiba. Neji's family doesn't do it either, he's not sure about Sasuke because the guy never talks much about his home life. Lifting the stick he'd pulled from the brush beside his home, Kiba gives the can a good whack to test his slap shot.

Both he and Lee watch as the can soars through the crispy winter air landing in a tree decorated with white holiday lights.

"Nice shot." Says Lee admiring the distance the can made.

"That's nothin'," Kiba waves a hand before resting them, cockily on his sides. "you should see me when I really cut loose tomorrow." Dashing forward he calls over his shoulder. "They won't be able to get a thing from me-eee-eee!" His legs slip from under him when he dashed over a clump of ice, dropping Kiba to the frozen concrete.

"Kiba!" Hurrying forward he tries to catch the male, but its no use as Kiba slides a good five feet along the sidewalk on his butt and right into a tree. "Are you ok?" He kneels down a bit holding out his hand to assist the boy to his feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He brushes the water and slush from his butt. Good thing his mom isn't home or he'd be toast.

Although he was fine, Lee decided that maybe they should call it a night. Its around six so its getting pretty dark outside.

"You wanna stop for some cocoa before we go home?"

"I'm broke."

"I'll pay."

Smiling a sharp toothed grin, he says very casually. "Than how's about making it a hot fudge sundae?"

Cocking a brow, Lee begins to walk towards the center of town. "I don't know if I have enough for that." Avoiding a piece of ice, he spots a teacher from their school and waves to her when she looks their way, smiling when he received a wave in return.

It had been such a good year. He had his first kiss, he has a boyfriend now- can you believe it! True the two of them haven't had their first official date yet, but he was still wondering what to do with someone like Gaara, what would make him happy. In the meantime, they've just been enjoying each others company and spending any free time from school and their friends with each other. It's been a bumpy ride, Lee would admit that easily, but being with Gaara and having a few ups and downs is worth it. Besides, perfection is boring and even scary if you really think about it. When would you get to meltdown, how would you approach the other person with a problem or fear. In the end you'd be very miserable if not insane from lack of anything other than model relationship to be your lifestyle. You'd be bottled up and the explosion would be-... oh boy. No, problems are good.

"Hey? Yoo hoo!" He waves a hand infront of Lee's face. "You in there Rock? I said we're here."

"Huh?" He looks over at his best friend. "What?"

Smiling mischieviously, Kiba cocks his head to the side. "Uh-huh, you're thinking about little Gaara," He makes kissy noises. "my little lover boy." Poking Lee on the cheek he gives his finger a twist. "The air I breathe," His voice goes up a bit higher like a woman. "the breeeeeze between my kneeeees." Laughing at Lee's blush, he pulls open the door to the shop. "So how far have you two gotten?"

"Kiba! Not infront of the p-a-d-e-s-t-r-i-a-n-s."

Blinking Kiba asks. "The what?"

"The people! One word gets out and who knows what would happen."

Looking over the small crowd of kissing couples and lonely, sorrow faced, sweets drowners Kiba shakes his head. "I don't think they care."

The two walk into the shop right up to the counter. Lee ordered them two cocoa's after checking his wallet for spare change to get Kiba's sundae- he doesn't have enough. A shame for Kiba but he'd live. Bringing their drinks over to a window seat table, they play with their straws through the thick foam of whipped topping placed atop their drinks. Both boys look out the large window at the people passing by. Its not so cold tonight so people are out to do tasks and errands while the weather permits it which is why Lee's uncle allowed him to go out with Kiba, he figured history wouldn't repeat itself on a calm night like this.

Bored with the outside world, Kiba turns his attention back to Lee. "So seriously, you two have that official date yet or what?"

Sighing in defeat, Lee shakes his head. "No, not yet. I still haven't decided where to go yet. I want us to both enjoy it so that when its over we can both have it to look back on and say 'that was the best first date two people could ever have', is that so wrong?"

"No, of course not. I know when Shino and I went out on a date we wanted that same thing."

Perked up, he says. "Really?"

"Nooo, not really. We just went to a movie and he screwed me into the mattress a week later."

Lee scoffed. That couldn't possibly have happened.

Shaking his head, Kiba smirks. "No, that was the truth. That guys a freak." He snickers to himself biting on the froth covered straw.

Blushing, Lee starts to get a mental picture of screwing Gaara into the bedding, which only makes him blush more. Shaking away the thought bubble, he turns his wide gaze out the window again.

"Are you two kissing?" Asks Kiba not done with the Q. and A.

Its like they always say, "when you're bored bother someone who isn't" and in all honesty Lee doesn't look bored. Lee looks down at his drink at that question, then smiles faintly.

"Yeah. We kiss a lot actually."

"Any good?"

Nodding, the Rock child takes a drink in hopes to hide his smile. "He's great. I don't know how I am but he doesn't seem unhappy with it."

Shrugging his hand, Kiba says slyly. "Yeah, I'd kiss you to test it but- you know, you'd fall in love with me, Gaara would be upset and I hear he's got murderous intent when it comes to you."

Taken aback, he asks. "Who says that?"

"Some blond kid told Sasuke, and he told me."

"I didn't know that." Comments Lee absently.

Kicking the Rock boys foot, he scoffs. "Don't worry about it, its sweet. We all knew you'd end up with a nut anyway."

Lee shrugged. It was true; in June Kiba said to him 'I'll bet when you start dating you'll end up with some nutcase- or Gaara, but what's the difference.' And fight the attraction as he might, he ended up falling for the cute red head.

"How's his mother by the way? You said something about her- hmm... over the summer."

Now that was a better topic at the moment. Lee didn't wanna think about people being beaten down by his boyfriend. "She's doing great! Gaara says she still doesn't talk to him, but he said that he's been talking to her and she even smiled at him once. I think they're gonna be ok."

Nodding, Kiba replies over a mouth full of foam. "I knew you could work your magic on them- hey there's Sasuke and Neji!" He spies them from a glance out the window. Knee on the seat to elevate him, he bangs his hand on the window. "Hey! Hey! Get in here!"

"Young man," the woman behind the counter calls. "Can you please not bang the windows like that? Thank you."

Turning his nose up he says in a flat tone. "Whoever broke a window by banging on it?" Continuing to do just that. "Nejiiii! Sasuke!"

"Young man please!" Shouts the woman from behind the counter.

It didn't matter either way the two boys heard Kiba calling them and from across the street they look through the window of the shop spotting the other two members of their little foursome. Kiba gestures for them to come over to them but Neji shakes his head as Sasuke holds up a small white box for them to see. Not about to take 'no' for an answer, Kiba flips them off then again gestures for them to come over. Neji and Sasuke begin talking to each other at which point Sasuke hands the Hyuuga boy the box then starts across the street towards the cafe. Neji watched for a moment, then continued down the street. Once inside Sasuke heads for the counter ordering a large cocoa to go, pacing over to the table once it was handed to him.

"What the hell is so important?" He asks looking bitterly at Kiba.

Grinning the Inuzuka boy says with all the sarcastic love in the world. "Hi."

Glaring, Sasuke stands. "I'm out of here."

Laughing, Kiba stands as well, his drink long since finished. "Sasuke wait, I was just joking."

Lee picks up his drink, popping a cap on top of it before heading out the door after the two. The three of them are walking down the street back to their neighborhood, or at least to Lee's and Sasuke's since Kiba lives in the other direction- he's spending the night at the Maito home.

"What's up with you two? What was in the box?" Asks Kiba after a while.

"Dango- my brother wanted some." Explains Sasuke. Handing his drink to Lee, he unzips his coat a bit, then sucks his arms inside, reaching for the cup again he takes it, hands basking in the warm generating from the enclosed heat. He didn't wear his gloves because it wasn't cold out when he'd left but now that its starting to snow the temperature is beginning to drop. "Seriously, what did you call us over for?" Asks Sasuke.

"Seriously, hi." Replies Kiba.

Sasuke makes an agitated sound but sips his chocolate ready for a change of subject.

"Hey guess what," Kiba says. "Lee's thinking about having sex." He drops an arm around said males shoulders.

"With who?"

"Nobody! I said I was kissing," Lee explains. "Besides, even if I was planning on doing that I'm not sure if its something I really wanna talk about."

"Why not?" The other two say in unison.

With a shrug, Lee drops his cup into a trash can. "Because... Its embarrassing and- and whoever has a good first time."

"I did." They again both say at the same time.

"At least there's something to look forward to, pressure to be good." He says sarcastically.

"Tch. Sex is easy." Says Kiba. "Especially if you're on top."

Shaking his head, Sasuke says. "I prefer bottom, you don't have to do much to get off."

"You have too much adjustments to make when you're on the bottom, too many commands to give out."

"Since when?"

Glaring daggers now, Kiba goes on to say. "Because you're always with that whole 'right there', or 'harder' when you could just be taking the command. Thrusting in is just a hip movement away."

"Assuming that makes any sense-..." Says Sasuke.

Lee listens to the two argue about positions wondering which would be best for someone like him. On the one hand, he's really good at taking direction but on the other hand he doesn't wanna hurt Gaara and if Sex Ed. was any kind of helper, the first time penatration really hurts. So many things to consider and he hasn't even had a first date yet. What a predicament. He wonders if Gaara is thinking about it as well.

At the Uzumaki home. Naruto's family has two traditions over the holidays. 1. Endless supply of cookies and 2. Always watch that American movie 'A Christmas story', and because Gaara and Shikamaru were there the first time it became tradition they are always invited over every year to watch it with the family. So this year is no exception, only this year his parents decided to do some last minute shopping and are out, so the three boys are technically home alone since Naruto's grandfather, Jiraiya, has fallen into a drunken egg nog sleep in the arm chair. The room is moderately silent while they watch, minus Naruto cracking up at his favorite parts. He just loves when Randy cries about not being able to put his arms down. It gets him everytime and of course his beloved "Ohhh fuudge" line. Gaara has been nursing a ginger bread cookie for a half hour while thinking about Lee. He's certain the male said that they are lovers and yet he hasn't taken him out on a date yet. He was seriously beginning to wonder if Lee was messing with him.

Pausing the DVD Naruto stands up. "Anyone gotta go to the bathroom?"

"Not me." Replies Shikamaru, whose been counting the colored lights on the tree while half paying attention to the movie.

"Gaara?"

He doesn't answer.

"Gaara!" Snaps Naruto.

Looking at the red head, Shikamaru smirks. "Naruto, don't you know?"

"No, what?" He sits down on the couch looking from one friend to another. "What should I know?"

"Gaara's not with us anymore, he's cruising the lane of mental passion with his boyfriend Lee."

Looking at Gaara, eyes wide he says. "Seriously?"

The two begin to laugh.

Blinking, Gaara looks at them then says in an even voice. "I need one of you to have sex with me."

Naruto was knocked on his head to the floor. Shikamaru looked intriuged scooting a bit closer to the drab male.

"Okay." He answers.

"Shikamaru!" Retrieving himself from the floor, Naruto sits between the two hot blooded males. "Gaara, what are you nuts? What about Lee?"

"That's the whole point. I need to practice so that when we have sex I get it right."

Tossing a look at his grandfather, Naruto then looks back at Gaara. "Ssshhh. Gaara, you can't just have sex with someone, not everyone is the same."

"I know the basics; stick it in, pull it out, repeat." His eyes are fixed on the television.

Naruto laughs uncomfortably. Next year he's gonna make friends with people a little less blunt. "There's more to it than that, and besides... why are you thinking about se-... that anyway? You're so young! And you haven't even been on a single date with him."

"Why does that matter?"

"Because! You gotta give this stuff time man... do you even love Lee?"

Gaara thought that over. "There are too many ways to love somebody."

Taken aback, Naruto shakes his head. "No, no there isn't... there are only two. There's love like me and Sasuke and then there's love like what I have for you two."

Again, Gaara thinks for a bit. "No. What I feel for Lee is neither of those... its more like a... like a weird love. Because I don't love him and yet... I can't seem to be away from him without feeling an ache in my chest, all thoughts jump directly to him, like he's embedded in me. And yet... I don't love him." He lowers his head, gaze at his lap.

"Gaara," Shikamaru switches places with Naruto, a hand comes out to caress the red heads back. "you don't have to force yourself to love someone if you're confused about what you're feeling for them, and you sure as hell don't have to sleep with him if you don't want to. Just... feel your way through it, take your time."

"Yeah! Or at least hold out for that third date." Chimes Naruto.

"Mm." He wonders outloud to himself. I just wish it would stop feeling like I'm running out of time. Like everything is gonna go away from me and I'll be left with nothing. So why not rush... why not force myself to feel everything all at once. I don't have time to sit on my hands and wait like everyone else does. I want answers, I want action... I want that change.

Shoving Shikamaru from his former place on the couch, Naruto wraps an arm around his friend leaning his head on the boys shoulder. "How 'bout I tell you a story, maybe you can get some tips of how to have fun with him without... you know, going all the way."

Gaara raises a hairless brow as if to say 'I'm listening.'

"Right." He beams with the memory rushing to his brain. "It happened last winter around Christmas. Sasuke and me were at his house helping with the decorating. His parents were out so it was just us and his brother..."

...Flash Back...

Itachi returns into the spacious living room of the Uchiha home carrying a box of bulbs; the jingling of small bells can also be heard from within the box. He sets it carefully enough on the couch before slicing through the aged ducked tape with a box cutter. Removing the bells from atop the bulbs, he sets them down on the coffee table that's already been overwhelmed with garland and reef. Bulbs removed from the box, the older male removes them from their boxes then places them on the tree. They always use colored lights, no exceptions says their mother. So the bulbs have to be white- a frosted white so the color bounces off of them. Itachi thought the tree looked pretty homely, but he never missed out on decorating it.

"Are you putting the bells on the reef?" Asks the Uzumaki child wrapping them up in his arms giving them a rapid shake filling the air with tons and tons of jingles. He moved about the room like an Indian doing a native dance.

"Yes." Replies the older male. "First get the rest of the lights from the attic, Naruto you go with him." He snags the male by his festive Frosty the Snowman sweater to stop the boys dancing.

"You got it!" He flashes the older boy a killer grin, always happy to help when he could.

The two travel up the stairs, the wooden floor creaking beneath their trip as they go. Sasuke turns a corner in the hall, grabs the step ladder then sets it up beneath the overhead attic door.

"Want me to hold it steady?" Asks Naruto.

Making a face, Sasuke says. "Its only two steps." Walking up the ladder he pulls on the string to the attic. "Watch out." He says over his shoulder.

Naruto takes a step to the left watching as the stairs fall down before him. Following after Sasuke, who hops off the ladder then travels up into the attic he hangs out at the opening while his eyes take in the room. Its really big up here, the Uchiha's could use it as a fifth bedroom if they wanted to.

"Lights," Sasuke reminds himself as he looks around for the box. Spotting a large one in the corner of the room, he heads over to it.

Naruto watches as his boyfriend leans over the box in the way of Sasuke's goal, the bluenet's cute butt showing off its grabable figure through the jeans. The blond boy couldn't resist, sneaking up behind his boyfriend he reaches his hands out for him.

"Naruto give me a hand." Sasuke says, so unexpecting of what was about to happen next.

Itachi looks up at the ceiling when two loud thumps sound. "Be careful Sasuke." He calls to them.

"We are!" Sasuke calls back quickly while glaring at Naruto whose decided to use him as an arm chair. "What are you doing?" He asks in a low tone should their voices carry downstairs.

Hand sliding up the bluenet's shirt, Naruto scoots back over the other males hips placing kisses on the exposed skin. He smirks to himself when Sasuke shuddered beneath his lips. Time to turn up the heat. Inching fingers saught out a hardening nipple catching it between his middle and index finger while the pad of his thumb brushes idly back and forth Naruto's tongue makes itself busy rimming his boyfriends belly button, flickering in and out of the dip in the males stomach like his member would, had they been joined at the hips. Tilting his head back Sasuke lets out a low sigh of approval when he was so ready to knock the boy out the entrance just a moment ago. Try as he might not to get hard, Sasuke was bullied into it when Naruto's canine's scissored a bit of his skin causing him to cry out from pain of both the cut and Naruto licking the blood away.

Pushing on the blond's shoulder with the hand that wasn't trying to claw its way through the hardwood floor. Naruto snickered before placing chaste kisses down along the revealing path he's creating by pushing open and pulling down Sasuke's jeans. The Uchiha boy's stomach clenched with excitement when Naruto's chin bumped the base of his quickly hardening erection. Mouth open, when low enough, Naruto encloses his lips around the hot flesh the tip of his tongue traveling up along the shaft as his head moves; he kept his smile down when Sasuke moaned loud enough to have to slap a hand over his mouth when Naruto's index traced the exposed side of his need. His boyfriend licked feverishly at the weeping head he'd found at the end of his journey. His blue eyes opening to glance at the source of the scratching sounds beside them, finding that they were only Sasuke's nails on the floor. Tongue swirling around the head he lowers it down over the entire-...

"Naruto," Gaara cuts through the story. "How does that help me at all? I'm not Sasuke, I couldn't feel what you were doing to immitate it."

"Well sure!" Reaching out he says. "Gimme me a finger."

Shikamaru was about to sit back and enjoy a show when Gaara raised his hand, but from the side of his eyes he saw someone peeking at the whole scene. "Uuhh, Naruto.." He tries to get the males attention.

"Its simple, just do like you feel me doing okay?" Says the blond.

Shikamaru's eyes widen when Gaara's finger presses into Naruto's mouth; someone else was enjoying the show as well. "Naruto!" He calls out before shoving him off the couch.

Gaara pulled his finger back so quickly Naruto chomped down on it drawing blood.

"Crap, I'm sorry." He says to his friend then turns to Shikamaru. "What the hell is your problem!"

Ignorning the males sprayed anger, Shikamaru cocks his head to the side. Confused Naruto looks over at his grandfather who's watching the three of them with intense interest.

"Grampa! What the hell!"

Jiraiya only holds his hands up in defense. "Don't mind me, I'm just keeping an eye out like your parents said."

"I don't believe this guy," mutters the blond. "Watching us like my par-... you know I'm beginning to wonder about you." He takes Gaara's un-injuried hand then leads him to the bathroom to clean it up. "I'm sorry." He says while using the first-aid kit on the boy.

Watching Naruto clean and bandage the bite, he wondered if Sasuke had a scar on him when he got bit. "Its alright, it wasn't your fault."

"Yeah but... listen Gaara, you seriously should wait to sleep with the guy. I know you like him and so do I but, sometimes people weren't meant to be quick to do those sorts of things."

Gaara grinned at the boy hearing the concern in his voice. He figured this is what Lee would do whenever someone showed they cared for him. He's seen it eleven times.

Horrified, Naruto asks in a shaken tone. "What are you doing? What's with that face- I said I was sorry."

"Right, I should show less teeth." Gaara mutters to himself. Closing his mouth altogether he offers a small smile.

Uncomfortable, Naruto laughs before pulling the boy into a hug. "Well, whatever."

"Aaaw," Shikamaru drawls at the door before joining in on the hug.

Such a cozy moment, at least until Gaara asks.

"Are you gonna sleep with me or not?"

Naruto sank to the floor defeated. Shikamaru placed a hand atop the boys head. "Well Gaara, you've managed to top last years 'weird things my best friend says list'."


	10. Dear Gaara

Author's Notes: I'll have to send that other link some other way, let me try this 'good' ran together with 'anime' then.'net'. That should work out better. What's with this place anyway? This puppy is done. Thank you all for reading, I'm on to the next one, yeah. Thanks again.

...

May 3, 2005.

"Keep them closed for a little bit more." Says Lee.

He and Gaara have been walking for at least twenty minutes. Lee leading Gaara who has his eyes closed so that he won't spoil himself to the big surprise that his boyfriend has planned. Gaara already knows that this officially counts as their first date and the last thing he wanted to do is ruin it so there wouldn't be a second one.

"Aaaand," releasing the shorter males shoulders Lee jumps out in front of him, arms spread. "Ta-da! ...You can open your eyes now." He says cheerily.

Gaara opens his eyes spotting Lee first, then the building behind him.

Its a long stone fence with iron bars for doors, beyond it he can see a path but nothing more. A sign above read: Aquarium.

Looking at Lee with question he says. "Our first date is at the aquarium?"

Smiling, Lee shrugs. "Fish are fun to watch, and sometimes the big fish eat the little fish. I thought it'd be nice for you- that way you can still see some deaths."

That made the shorter male smile. It was the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to him. Heading into the aquatic zoo, hands held, the two males grab a map from the rack by the front door and follow the colorful little pictures to the polar bears den. The large white bears were putting on quite a show for the visitors, rolling about on the false snowy land or doing tricks in the water, drumming their bellies for food. The trainers allowed them to toss fish to the bears while he spoke about them. Lee was more interested in what the man had to say about the bear rather than feeding them, but Gaara's attention was full with their cuddly cute, ways.

Turning his attention to Lee after a while he says absently. "I always wanted a pet bear."

Nodding, Lee then cocks a brow in thought. "Aren't you afraid it would eat you?"

Shaking his head, he ceased feeding the animal. "No. With bears you have to give off a much bigger presence than their own, that's how they establish dominance."

The trainer smiles at the red head saying. "That's right youngman."

Gaara glared blankly at the man.

"Hmhmhmhm," Snickers Lee. "well, you've got no problem there." He replies seeing that the trainer sort of backed away without further comment.

They queitly watch the bears a moment more then head for another exibit. The penguines were the lively ones at the aquarium, they ran, jumped, climbed up on things with their bodies wobbling back and forth. It was so sweet. They didn't feed them though having already located a bathroom on the walk over to wash the fish smell from their hands. After the penguines the two held hands walking to another room, a happy hum in Lee's throat.

"Did you want any pets?" Asks Gaara suddenly. He really wanted to know more things about Lee. In all the time they've known each other they rarely spoke of anything personal, it was mostly just alot of junk of this and that.

"Once I wanted a dog, but when I moved here and met Kiba I found out that he has a dog," Lee says. "So that was enough for me."

"...I don't get how that could be enough. Doesn't it just make you want a dog even more?"

"Not really, I see Kiba just about everyday so it's like a I have a dog." Seeing the blank expression Lee says more clearly. "That's considered being happy with what you've got."

Thinking that over Gaara nods as they enter the inside of a whales mouth.

"Wow!" Lee shouts looking up at the huge tank surroundng everything of the room but the floor. "This is amazing!"

Gaara looks up as well watching a small shark swim overhead. He can't believe how large this tank is. A tug on his wrist alerts him to Lee moving and taking him with him. Following the taller male, they stand at the side of the tank wall.

"Let's see if we can find the fish on the plaques." Suggest the chipper male. Looking down at the plaque attached to a small podium, he says to himself. "Cuddle fish, cuddle fish..."

Gaara looks at the picture than up through the tank. "Its over there." He points. "See it at the bottom."

Lee looks for a moment, wide-set eyes scanning the gravelled floor and then he spots the white squidlike fish. Its little tentical wriggling as it pulls something free from the little blue rocks.

"I see it!" He shouts pointing like a child.

Gaara looks at Lee a moment, face trying to match the cheerful males. He's still working on his changes, still wishing to be like Lee but some things don't come as easily to him as they do other people and smiling was number one on that list.

"Come on, let's look for the tiger fish." He moves down a step.

Gaara watches his boyfriend head further away from him, looking through the tank where he's standing, he then turns away and heads across the room to the other side of the tank to look. His green gaze follows a silver school of fish slinking through the water in unison like a broad snake. But no tiger fish.

Stopping beside the boy he asks. "Did you find it yet?"

Gaara shakes his head walking further down along the wall. He spotted the clown fish, a blow fish, no tiger fish though. Glancing down at his side, he sees a little boy looking up at him. He blinks at the child, face unreadable. He's never had someone stare at him like that before except for- oh just about everybody. He knows what the boy is looking at, his racoon eyes. He thought for sure they would go away, he's been getting sleep lately and everything, but the rings around his eyes remain. So glaring at the boy, who whimperd when Gaara's full attention was on him, he leans over and says in a very dead tone.

"Boo."

The young boy screamed and took off for his mother or father.

Laughing, Gaara straightens up then turns on his heels to continue the hunt for the tiger fish but he stops nearly bumping into Lee. The taller male is looking at him with curiousity and a bit of disappointment.

"What?" Asks the red head.

"Gaara, you scared that little boy."

Looking over his shoulder at where the boy departed too, he shrugs. "He was staring at me like I'm a ghost, or a monster. I thought I should give him what he wanted." He looks back at Lee. "Are you disappointed in me?"

"No, its not that. I was just thinking about how rude some people can be."

Curious, Gaara asks. "Does that make you mad?"

"Not at all!" He shrugs. "You are who you are, I guess." Lowering his dark colored gaze, Lee says more softly. "I just wish people would be more curtious to one another."

Taking Lee's wrist he pulls him down a bit kissing him on the cheek. "Nevermind him. Let's go see the killer whales."

Blushing from being kissed in a public place, Lee smiles taking his lovers hand. "Okay."

The rest of the date went well for them. It was going to be one of those perfect days, or at least that's what they thought until dark clouds swell over the town and began their down pour. The two stepped out of the large pen where the seals are kept to find the entire aquarium is in the middle of a down pour; people are either leaving or seeking shelter within one of the exibits.

Feeling a droplet splash down on his nose, Lee unties the thin jacket he has around his waist, then holds it up over his and Gaara's heads, pulling the smaller boy as close to him as he could. "We'd better get someplace before we're drenched through."

Gaara nods.

"Hold onto my belt so you keep up." He orders and once the red heads hand is latched to his belt, Lee takes off at a sprint for the nearest covered location.

It just happened to be a bus stop. The long black painted bench is covered by a small glass room with a doorless entry way. Once inside its cover, Lee removes his jacket from over their heads giving it a good shaking in hopes to remove some of the water within it. It was a long run, luckily not as long as it could have been but it would be a while before the two could leave. Hopefully its one of those springtime storms that only last a minute or so.

Flopping down on the bench, hanging his coat across a bar infront of him, Lee tilts his head back and sighs joyously. "This is nice, isn't it?"

Stunned by Lee's words, Gaara shakes his head in disblief. "How can you say that, its completely ruining our first date... It was supposed to be perfect."

Looking over at the moping male Lee wraps his arms around him hugging him close. "You mean to tell me you don't love this? The pitter patter of rain, nice shady sky, leaves overhead like something out of a nature pop-up book. This is nice where I come from."

Slight smirk, he turns his head slightly, moist hair mushing into Lee's. "Your very optimistic aren't you?"

"Mhmm."

Quiet a moment, Gaara asks curiously. "W- what would we be doing right now if it weren't raining?"

"Eating." Lee checks his watch. "Yeah, lunch. Can you picture it? We were gonna eat at a sandwich shop, I'd order for us and pay; we'd have to split them so we could each get something different. You would tell me you like mine better, and I would give you the rest of what I've been eating and you would give me yours."

Gaara gave a dry but honest laugh at that. "And then?"

"Hmm, then we'd go to the park and swing until we just about get beaten up by the kids waiting for our turn to end." Gaara's laugh continues causing a smile to break out in Lee and he laughs a bit as well. "Then we'd walk, hand in hand to nowhere- its nice to get lost when you're on a date, it keeps it interesting... And I would steal a kiss from you when we walk home and I'd ask you to stay over, but, you'd decline because you've got something you need to do at which point you would surprise me with a-... hmm, something and then you'd stay over."

Calming his odd laugh, he says. "And you would trade all that in for this ruining rain?"

Nodding, Lee replies. "Everytime. Its good to have a slip up here and there in well laid plans."

"I don't think so." Gaara looks down at his lap and sighs. Though he did have to admit this is really nice, just talking like this, listening to the rain over head and the wind whipping it into the glass box from the sides. Looking back up he smiles at the leaves. Lee was right, it is nice.

Watching the red head, Lee says in a quiet voice. "Gaara, when did you become suicidal?"

Lowering his gaze, he looks at the dark haired male then replies vacantly. "When my mother shut down on me. I was young and didn't understand why she did it, I still don't understand it now... the why... I wanted to be with her where she went, but she wasn't listening on the outside; I saw all those dead people and they were always smiling, I thought, my mother must be trying to get there but she's afraid to be happy... I-... I told her that I would kill her if she wanted me to. That's when she began to scream at me- call me a monster and she shut me out forever. At least before she would acknowledge me, but not anymore- not until recently because of your help. That's why I wanna be like you. Your perfect."

Astonished by that, Lee laughs a bit. "Gaara, I'm not even close to perfect. Perfect is hard to reach, that's why I live and let live it keeps the world fun. It needs all kinds of people in it."

"Even monsters like me?"

"Yes..." Hugging him closer he says. "Gaara, you're the last piece to my puzzle of happiness. My beautiful disaster."

"Thanks." He says sarcastically.

Lee snickers and shakes his head. "No, that's a good thing. I can be what you aren't... a messed up kind of good."

"You're not messed up to me... I don't want her to hate me anymore, Lee." Gaara sounded strange like he might cry in a minute. "I'm her son, and she didn't even know that when I said I wanted to kill her I meant I wanted her to be happy like those bodies... I knew that my father was the one that made them smile- I'm not stupid. I just wanted to know why? Is there something beyond that he wants them to smile and look forward to? Or not?"

"Belonging?" Asks the dark haired male.

"Yes. I want so much to belong. I always believed that you should eat the world before it eats you so I closed everyone off before they could shut me out first."

"Like your mother did."

The saddened boy nods.

"I see... have you tried explaining that to her?"

"Recently. She said... 'I see', she spoke to me and hugged me. I thougt that I would lose my mind having received something so wonderful from her, having substituted my uncle for her so many times."

"That's why you love him so much, because they're identical twins."

"I would do anything for him, and he would do anything for me... he laughed when I told him to die with me... Gave me a kiss and said I was an odd kid."

"Can you blame yourself, seeing death on such a large scale must have somehow effected you when you were growing up. It wasn't your fault."

"Mm." Intones the male. Closing his eyes, he asks, voice barely audible. "I saw that car coming, I wanted to get hit... I wanted to see your reaction to it- would he care, would he roll his eyes thinking there goes another stupid kid... you just kept watching me. And as the car hit, I saw your face... so scared, and concerned- all of that was for me, a stranger. It felt nice. I thought that, if I died now at least I got to see what it was like to have someone care for me. I didn't think you'd stick around after that- why did you?"

"Because your eyes told me that we were the same. Wondering 'why was I singled out', 'why am I the one to be so different and mocked for it when its taken me so long to love myself.' I wanted to save you Gaara because I'm strange too, and from one beautiful disaster to another I didn't want you hating yourself."

Gaara blinked.

"I can't let you. I'm glad we met that day, because now I've got someone to love." He pops his forehead to the shorter males.

"...You love me?"

"I really do."

Gaara thought about that, he could feel it, deep within his self a smile spreading across his face.

Lee snickers on exclaim. "There's a handsome face." He pats him on the shoulder the strap of his backpack sliding down into view. "Look at that, my backpack. I forgot I was wearing this. We can call home for a ride now, our luck is turning around."

"Yeah." He meant that on a much deeper scale. Lee's helped him, with his mother, with his wanting to exist in a place where he wouldn't be alone... because now he knows he isn't alone, that his friends and family love him no matter how odd he may be. And now he has love to hold for his own. Lee.

"My uncle isn't home- wanna try your house?"

"My brother has a phone; my father and uncle are at a funeral and Temari is usually out. My mother never learned how to drive, so Kankurou is our only option."

Handing the red head the phone, he cheers. "Kankurou, it is."

And shortly after the call the two boys are picked up and brought to McDonalds to eat their missed lunch, then the older and talkative male dropped the two off at Lee's house. The two boys are walking into Lee's bedroom toweling their hair dry. They had taken their clothes off, having gotten soaked to their boxers from dashing back and forth in the steadily streaming rain, they cover their nudity with robes- Gaara is in his uncles since he only owns one.

Sitting down on the bed, Gaara says absently while settling himself beside the older male. "I know someone who's getting 3 pairs of robes and pajamas for his birthday this year."

Cocking a brow, Lee says in mock hurt. "Thanks for spoiling the surprise."

Attention intensly on his boyfriend, Gaara rests his head on Lee's shoulder. They've both changed a bit since they first met, Lee's gotten a bit buffer now that he can do athletic things like a normal teen, where as he's gained some new pains in his face while working on a pleasing smile. Truthfully he hates how his face is changing, it feels a little too... feminine. But no one's ever said anything or called him pretty so maybe its all in his head.

"Lee?"

"Hmm." He removes his gaze from the window where he watched the rain to Gaara.

"Thank you for being the slip-up in my well laid plan to kill myself."

Smiling, he wraps his arms around the shorter male, head resting atop of the still damp red spikes. Glancing down, he found himself absently parting the boy's messed up bangs that Gaara had brushed over the scar from the accident. He could tell that the red head had covered it for their date but Lee didn't mind looking at the hardened blood and skin, it actually looked like the symbol for 'love' as weird as that seems.

"Before," Gaara continued. "when you said you love me... I feel something like that for you too." Removing himself from Lee's grip he climbs into his lap like a little monkey, wrapping his arms around Lee's neck while keeping the male pinned between his legs and thighs as he hugs him. "What I feel is dumb, like I don't have a clue how to think anymore, or what to feel but you have all the answers and I can suck them from you when we're together to have them when we're apart." Fingers touching to Lee's lips, Gaara leans up to his face. "I want to taste them again."

Pressing his lips to Lee's the red head's hand caresses the darker haired males cheek, his fingers fanning through Lee's silkly and always well kept hair. When his pinky brushed the males exposed ear, he turns his lips attention to just that. He's always liked Lee's ears and he tended to it with a rimming from lobe to center where he flicked his tongue in and out of the hole. Lee shuddered to the core when his boyfriend's teeth came down on the end of his ear to give it a nibble, he had no idea he was so sensative there. But as Lee's eyes half-lid to closed, they open again as his attention is now focused on the peep show Gaara's genitals are giving him as the red head rolls his hips in little circles over his own, still covered by robe, package. Oh sure, they've had make-out sessions in which they'd grind each other to completion but they've never been naked for it and Lee was afraid they he'd forget his manners and end up doing something with Gaara that he's not ready for. Not like his little lover gave out hints to otherwise but didn't he think he was a bit too young still.

"Aahh" Lee sighed hazily as he feels his erection trying to move his robe aside to play with Gaara's that's pressing into his stomach. The little red light in Lee's head went off and he lowered his hands attempting to cover Gaara up, but his little lover had other ideas and moved his hands to cup his buttocks.

Arms tightening around Lee's neck the red head deepens their kiss, his tongue swirling in Lee's mouth and running along the roof of his mouth, the tip giving chaste touches to the tips of Lee's tongue that fought it back into its owners mouth as he took over their kiss. Wanting to give Gaara's face some attention, the older male kisses Gaara's chin, cheek then forehead where his consolation for attempting suicide lay. Gaara's moans are breathy pants as he grinds his hips harder into Lee's kneading hands that are still anchored to his rear.

Kissing Gaara's neck his ear choose then to regain their use and he can hear Gaara say what sounds like 'come on' before his hands part his green robe before the final meeting of their hips which caused Gaara to spill over Lee's genitals. Hunched as he regains his breath for only a second, Gaara grabs Lee by the thighs pulling him down so that he's on his back, before Lee could protest, Gaara silenced his words into moans as he grabbed a firm hold of his now stickier erection. Mouth coming down over Lee's taut nipple, Gaara lavishes attention on the nub, giving it nips and licks before switching to the other. Chills ran up his spine as Lee whispered his name and he replied to the unasked question of 'is it real' by whispering a 'yes' into his ear while pumping him harder so much harder that Lee actually may have left finger prints on Gaara's butt as he came.

Gaara was sure to allow his lover's spill to get over his lap as he let Lee's. Thuroughly spent, Lee pulls Gaara to him kissing him on the lips but Gaara is going for broke today, hands moving behind his back he reaches between them slipping Lee's flaccid member into his body with one fluid motion. He practiced in the tub one day. He's seen the length and width of Lee before he's excited he only needed to work on feeling that, and really this was the better way, so that when Lee became erect his fullness would forever be imprinted within him.

"Gaara wha-..." Again his words are disolved to nothing but moans as Gaara rides him to stiff.

"I want you to always be there for me Lee." Says Gaara.

"I'm not going anywhere." Lee manages to say.

"Always." He repeats.

"I will."

"Always..." Gaara hears himself say before his blurred eyes slowly open.

He can hear the squeaking of those damned ghosts again.

Wait a minute. Thinks the male taking in his surroundings. What happened to me now that I'm back in the hospital? He half expected to see Lee at his bedside saying he tore something during sex, but he felt fine. Turning his head, body creaking and cracking in restrain, he spots a cup of water. Reaching out for it he knocks the cup clean from the table side. Hm? He wonders when his reach got so long infact, he felt really weird altogether. Bending his knees, he's shocked to see that they're a lot further down in the bed than they normally would be. What the hell is going on?

"And then I was all-..."

That voice? Gaara tries to sit up.

At first the blond just looked bewildered into the room, but noticing the steady movement he began to shout. "He's awake!"

Gaara wondered who that guy was. He looked like Naruto but, he's too old to be his spunky just as short as himself friend. Before Gaara could make sense of things the room is filled with people all smiling and patting him on the shoulder. A doctor came in checking his vision with a tiny light, until he pushed him away causing everyone to laugh.

"That's my little brother for ya." Says a woman that can't be Temari- she's too old!

"How do you feel?" Asks his once absent mother. Even she looks older somehow and very concerned with worry lines here and there.

"Fine." His voice is dry like he's been asleep for a long time. "What's going on? What happened?"

"Gaara," says the doctor. "you've been in a coma for 4 years. Its now 2008."

"What?" He didn't believe that. Does that mean... does that mean it was all a dream. "Where's Lee?" He asks again searching the semi grown faces for answers.

Naruto wondered how he knew the name of the bug browed boy that his boyfriend introduced him to when Lee and Gaara never even met.

"Here I am." Says Lee, his hair grown-out exposing both ears and forehead. "Its nice to see you again, Gaara." He said, his closeness to him sounding so unfamiliar but familiar.

A dream... it was all a dream. He doesn't know me... I never did any of the things that I dreamt. But... this means that I get a second chance. A second chance to make everything right. He thinks before giving everyone an uncharacteristic smile. He's gonna try to be a better person. He really will.


	11. Epilogue

Gaara's stay in the hopsital served as very restful for him. It was in ways upsetting, though, knowing that his family and friends have all been changing without him. Not to mention he'd have to catch up big time in school but during a visit his father assured him that he is not going to be placed into a lower grade by the time school starts again. He'll have to study hard and take many test in order to be academically where his friends are. Its gonna be a rough year. But that's not the only change, Naruto looks so strange tall and serious faced. The guy actually slapped Gaara on the shoulder telling him that he gave him that serious face by not waking up that first year. Gaara apologized for it only to be hugged and told that he, Naruto, was just teasing him about being upset but he was very sad about it. Shikamaru hadn't changed a bit personality wise but his skinny little form got a bit more weight to it than Gaara remembered. The red head wondered if that was because his coma made the boy benge eat. It was a nice thought to be cared about so much. It made what Lee had told him in his dream real; and his mother! The woman stops by everyday and the nurse told him that she's been reading to him stories about this and that, always telling him before she left that she loves him. Gaara was so stunned that his mother broke out of her shell to come to him and continued doing so even after he woke from the coma.

Also being in the hospital allowed Gaara to figure out what the noises were and the ghostly touches he'd received while sleeping. Nurse after nurse passing by his door was the squeeking, the beeping his monitors cutting through his coma's cloud, and the frightening hands were from the nurses giving him weekly massages so his muscles wouldn't rot away. Now that he's awake he has to take scheduled walks to work out his muscle tissue and bone. Getting used to his new body was something else, his legs longer than he would have thought his height would allow, always being short since he could remember; so making friends with Naruto, who's just as short was a big help in that department. Since waking up, Gaara hasn't seen Lee. He wondered if he'd ever see the male again but Shikamaru had told him that Lee was a friend of his boyfriend Neji- whoever he is, and they hang out as a group a lot of times. Being a seventh wheel was NOT going to be fun either.

Lowering the patients arm Nurse Hariyama pats the boy on the head with a smile. "Are you ready for your walk?" Asks the woman.

"Yes."

He's helped out of the bed and into a wheel chair. Just as the nurse begins to wheel him toward the door she stops in her pace as Lee walks into her path. The Rock child looked hopeful and yet nervous about something, smiling when he sees Gaara smiling at him from the seat.

Looking up at the nurse, Lee says in a pleading tone. "I know that visiting hours are over but I want- I mean, I would really like to speak to Gaara and with everyone around its hard to say what I wanna say to him. So can I please visit with him for a little while. I'll be quick as I can and won't disturb anyone."

The nurse looked uncertain if she could allow something like that, but the hospital has never really been strict on the visiting rule- though no one has ever wanted to break that rule before, so its a hard decision to make. But seeing the look on the males face, his round eyes just desperate for some alone time with the hospitalized patient she couldn't say no.

"Very well, you can take him for a walk around the courtyard. Do you know how to get there?"

Mood brightening, Lee nods hard. Of course he knew, he had to amuse himself out there many times while waiting for his surgory date. "Thank you! Thank you really, you won't regret it. I promise." He sticks out his thumb a dazzling smile spreads across his face.

The nurse laughed at how incredibly odd yet sweet this boy could be. She knew that he came everyday to see Gaara, but he never came into the room, he just hung out in the hall as if waiting for the others to leave so that he could have his time with him but the other visitors always stayed the full hour and a half that is allowed for guest so he never got the chance. Nurse Hariyama hoped that Lee would tell Gaara whatever it is that he has to so that the boy can be at ease- both of them, because the red head always seemed to be searching the incoming faces for someone and Lee must be that someone judging by the smile on the boys face when the dark haired male entered the room.

"What do I have to do?" Asks Lee taking the handles on the wheel chair.

"Just walk him around the circle once or twice, but he must remain in the chair the entire trip there and back we wouldn't want to strain him too much.

"Yes." Lee nods. "And thank you again." Pushing the chair out the door, he takes them to the elevator pressing the button for the lobby.

The short trip in the elevator seemed to be about nothing but avoidance between the two. Both having so much to say and yet neither wanted to go first so they averted gaze and remained silent. Lee waved to a few nurses or doctors that he met when he spent time in the hospital many years ago on their way to the courtyard and once outside he found a bench to park the chair next to and with ease helped Gaara stand from the chair. The red head blushed when Lee's hands lower to his hips gripping him lightly.

Cocking his head to the side and down so that Gaara knows he's speaking to him, Lee says. "This way you can swing your arms instead of having on immobile around my shoulders." Standing beside Gaara but a little back, the two begin his walk around the courtyard.

The silence between them could suffocate if it were visible and dense. They walk the large concrete area one shaken step from Gaara at a time. But mostly the red head walked rather well, but he stumbled every now and then being easily supported by Lee.

Yeah this is how Gaara wants to be viewed by his crush. Simple and weak. What's he supposed to say to him. Hi, we were a couple in a very vivid dream I had when in a coma- oh and by the way we had sex too, wanna be my boyfriend? That would never work. Old Gaara would have no problem saying something like that but he's changed so much from dreaming and waking up to a reality so different from what he knew.

"Gaara?" Says Lee during their second trip around the rose bushes.

"Mm."

"...This might sound weird but... How did you know my name?"

"Huh?"

"When you woke up, you called out for me... I... I've never met you before and yet you woke up and knew my name and my face. I saw the recognition in your eyes when I came up to the bed. At first I thought it was because you had stared at me so hard when I saw you that day on the hill but... it was just so much more different then recognizing someone from a one time passing. Can we sit a minute, I need a rest."

"Yes."

The first bench they saw the two take a seat. Lee catching his breath, Gaara watching him curiously. He hasn't seen Lee lose his breath in his dream. Did that mean?

"Your chest is crackling." Notes the red head. "Didn't you get an opperation to fix that?"

Lee smiled sadly. "I did but... I kind of went over board and ended up having to have it removed from over excertion."

Head lowered for a moment, he then looks back at Lee. "That's very sad." He says sympathetically.

"Is it?" Chuckling a bit, Lee shrugs. "I guess I'm so used to it I don't notice anymore."

Nodding Gaara then says. "When I was in a coma... did you visit me?"

Blushing, Lee averts his gaze. "Not at first- eh, but only because you and me were sharing a room back then so you were just a curtain pull away." Smiling to himself, he then said. "I visited once I was released though. Everyday... I must have just spilled everything and anything I could onto you. My life, my friends and stuff we were doing. What is it about knowing no one will respond that makes people so talkative."

Reaching up a hand, he touches Lee's shoulder. "I... I heard you speaking to me... I think I must have heard everyone speaking to me."

Bewildered by that, Lee blushed even worse than before. "Everything? ...Guess that explains how you knew my name."

Nodding, Gaara corrects himself a bit to ease Lee's fears. "I might not have heard everything, time was passing so quickly in my dream... but, the thing that I remember the most is... is how I felt about you, and how you felt about me."

"Oh... than I guess you did hear that part."

"What part?"

Picking at the crease on his jeans, he says shyly. "I don't know... I think that I might have asked about you. And why you looked so lonely that day when you were with your friends and I kind of thought outloud and said I'd never make you feel lonely, I'd... that I'd really like to love you." He burst out laughing. "Isn't that crazy to say to someone you never formally met? I tend to do things like that just blurt out the first thought that pops up in my head. It can be so embarrassing sometimes- Huh?"

Lee gasps as warm hands come up to his cheeks turning his head to the red head. "I can't live a life changed so dramatically from the one I knew for the past four years in my head... Everyone and everything around me is so different but... you... seem the same. You are the same aren't you? All of you are, my mother and father have changed and my friends. Don't be different Lee, for me... please."

Lost for words, Lee opened and closed his mouth thinking of what to say to that. It made no sense to him. How was he that Gaara- someone he actually doesn't really know, doesn't want him to change?

Looking into Lee's confused eyes, Gaara says more clearly. "Your voice brought me back from the darkness I was dropped into, your love made me stop hiding within myself so that I didn't have to lose anyone. You made me feel important for just being the way I am. If I lose that love... if I lose you" He corrects. "then my family and friends will go away as well." He lowers his head to Lee's chest, arms wrapping around the males shoulders- they're so much bigger than he remembered feeling in the dream. Its nice and cozy here like this. "You said you love me, and you always took the brunt of my anger and assalt and either threw it back or teased me until I felt better and now that my hiding place is gone I can't go back to it."

Lee listens quietly to the red head, unsure of what to say to such bold confessions. It would seem that in Gaara's unconscious state he somehow dreamt that he and Gaara were in a relationship and it changed him and because of that things changed for him all around and because of that Gaara feels as though he'll lose that if Lee is gone. Its such a big responsibilty... being someone's rock when they never even knew about it. What if he isn't what Gaara expects then what? Will he hurt him? Will Gaara become unhappy and again try to commit suicide? That would hurt Lee greatly to watch someone purposely walk infront of a car because of him. So what should he do?

"Gaara... I... I wanna be there for you like you dreamt but what if things are different. We don't really know each other and things could shift from present to dream with you and just make things confusing for you when it isn't what you expect. I... think that if I'm gonna love you, I need to know that you'll be alright if things don't work out? I need to know that you won't let yourself be hurt because of me."

"You wouldn't hurt m-.."

Cutting him off Lee asks. "But what if I did? Listen to me, look at me. Am I what you remember? Do you feel the same way when you look at me now? Don't think about the dream, think about right now... Do you really wanna be with me?"

Gaara removes himself from Lee looking him over. The smile of dream gone from this boys face replaced with a frown and concern in his brows replace the light tilt of his dream. Lee's voice is much deeper not heavy just lower, his hair is a big change with the exposed ears and forehead. Thoughts of their night in the tent cloud his mind for a moment but he waves them away. "Who are you?" He asks timidly.

Blinking, Lee smiles. "I'm loud, excitable... sometimes snippy when I think something different from someone else. I can be kind of mean or isolate myself when I'm sad." He says quietly. "Can you love me as I am?"

Smirking, Gaara looks Lee in the eyes and says easily. "I'm a monster wrapped in a boys body. I get upset easily and tend to pout whenever I feel wronged by someone I only show little care for because I'm afraid to lose them if I get any closer to them and they find out that they don't like the luggage underneath the package they see. I can't make funny jokes only stupid ones and I seldom laugh heartily... Can you love someone like that?"

Lee thinks that over, a snicker coming to his mouth. "You're all that and you say I let it slide? Brother I've got some problems." He gives Gaara a little shove to show he's only teasing. "I love anyone who is honest about who they are and since the first day I saw you I thought that you were hiding but you were hiding from fear about your place in life. I've felt that way so many times growing up but coming here I really found a place and I'd like to think that I saw you that day for a reason. I can love you Gaara. I do love you." Hugging the male, he grins and says softly. "Thank you for coming back."

Taking in the full hug, a smile coming across his face and tears filling his mint green eyes. "Thank you for saving me- twice... Thank you for seeing me, Lee."


End file.
